Gundam Seed: Fallen Angel
by tgobg
Summary: While alive, many believe that Time will heal all wounds. In Death, you will get the chance to meet all those that you love that have passed away before you did. For one man, neither of these sayings are true. This is his story. Naruto/GW/GS & GSD xove
1. Chapter 1

'What am I doing here

**Author's Note:** **Yo, I was asked by my friends and some people who read my stories to try my hand at a Naruto/Gundam Seed crossover and I decided to give it a shot. I thought it might be fun because I am a big Gundam fan, though not to the point where I can brag about knowing about every individual Gundam O.O. Anyway, this is my hand at a Naruto/Gundam Wing/Gundam Seed & Destiny crossover.**

**Just a little warning, I wouldn't recommend reading this unless you know something about Gundam Seed because I will be starting this story halfway into the Gundam Seed series. I will be going into the Gundam Seed Destiny series, but this chapter is meant to get the Gundam Seed series out of the way, which is why I made it so long.**

**This story is co-authored by my girl Sexybitchxoxoxo who also writes fanfiction of her own. I hope you enjoy and if you don't Meh, lol. Peace out.**

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'What am I doing here?' thought Naruto as he gazed up at the incredibly tall and imposing machine in front of him.

It has been over two thousands years and here he was still alive and healthy as he was when he had been just a kid. He looked no older then twenty and had a body that most men would kill for though he wasn't bulky, but had a nice lean build. His sun kissed blond hair stuck up at all angles while his beautiful sky blue eyes held little to no life in them. Living for as long as he had made him lose faith in all the things, he used to believe in. Countless battles, wars, killing, and other horrible acts had made him a cold and closed off individual. The man who used to fight to protect his precious people and innocents no longer existed and all that was left was an empty shell.

"Captain Naruto, I see this is where you have been hiding," said Azrael with a smirk as he approached Naruto. Naruto turned to look at the man through his emotionless eyes. He took a good look at the Blue Cosmos leader and was unimpressed by what he saw.

The man was of average height and wore a very expensive blue suit that matched his blue hair. From the way he walked and the smirk on his face, one could easily tell he was full of himself because of his money and position, but Naruto had no patience for men like him.

"Why are you here?" asked Naruto. Azrael couldn't stop the shiver that went down his spine as the man's emotionless eyes bore into his own.

"I have come down here to see you and the newest Gundam that was built. When I heard that the prototype used to design all other Gundams had been built I just couldn't resist the opportunity to see it," smirked Azrael as he stood next to Naruto then looked up at the Gundam that was in front of them both.

"I take it you were the one who requested I be the pilot of this Gundam," said Naruto knowingly. He should have known this man would request for him to personally to pilot this Gundam.

"Of course, you are the top pilot in the Earth Alliance having never been shot down and the only other person besides Lieutenant Mu La Flaga to have been able to fight on equal grounds as the damn Coordinators and their mobile suits," said Azrael with a small chuckle.

"Hn, I hope you realize that I am not obligated to pilot this suit since I am part of a different branch of the Earth Alliance that you have no influence over," replied Naruto causing Azrael to narrow his eyes in anger. It was true, the Earth Forces had their own elite organization that only took orders directly from the President so Azrael could not order Naruto to do anything. This branch was similar to ZAFT's own FAITH members that only took orders from the Chairman.

"I am aware of this fact, but I thought you might change your mind once you saw this new mobile suit. I heard from your superior that you were unsatisfied with the mobile suit given to you so I thought this might fit your tastes better. I mean, this mobile suit is what the five stolen Gundams, including the Strike, were all based off. I am sure with it's capabilities you will be more then satisfied," grinned Azrael as he tried to lure the man into joining him. He was a fool to believe that Naruto didn't see through his underhanded manipulations, but he would learn his lesson eventually.

"I have heard the last four pilots that have attempted to pilot this suit have all gone mentally insane," said Naruto as he stared at the Gundam.

"Yes, well you see this Gundam has a built in A.I. called the ZERO system, which allows the pilot to interface directly with the unit's combat computer. Unfortunately, none of our previous pilots has been able to handle the mental strain from the information upload. I am sure you won't have a problem though," replied Azrael dismissively.

"What about the buster rifle? It doesn't look like a standard beam rifle to me," said Naruto already knowing what it was, but wanted to see if Azrael would tell him.

"Regretfully, if you choose to pilot this Gundam you won't be allowed to use the Buster Rifle at full power because it would be breaching the treaty we have with those damn Coordinators about not resorting to nuclear powered weapons," frowned Azrael to show he was clearly upset with that fact.

"This Gundam has a nuclear core or something to that affect so aren't you already breaching the agreement when you had this unit built," replied Naruto.

"Not really, but it is running off energy similar to that to nuclear power. That is why you can't use the prototype Buster Rifle at full power because those idiots will think it is a nuclear powered weapon because of the damage it can do at full power and accuse us of breaching our agreement," shrugged Azrael as he had a glint in his eyes to show he really didn't care if he breached the treaty in some way.

"What will my targets be?" asked Naruto causing Azrael to smile in victory.

"We will be heading to ORB to see if they will join us so that we can use there Mass Driver and if they don't agree then we will be forced to use lethal force. There nation is too much of a threat for us to continue to let them go uncheck like they have been," said Azrael, but Naruto could tell he just wanted an excuse to see this new Gundam in battle.

"I work alone so I don't want to have to deal with any of those other pilots of yours because they will just get in my way," said Naruto causing Azrael to grit his teeth in anger. The Blue Cosmos leader clearly didn't like having to cave to the demands of others, but knew he didn't have much of a choice if he wanted to gain Naruto's help.

"Fine, but you better not fail," demanded Azrael, but took a step back in fear when Naruto's eyes narrowed upon him.

"In two days I will be ready to test the unit's fighting capabilities so have the Forbidden and Raider here by then. In order to test out the true capabilities of this Gundam I will need to fight against other Gundams," said Naruto.

"Hmm, that sounds like an excellent idea and it will allow me to see what those other units are capable as well. I will have them transferred here immediately then once you are done testing the Gundam we can head to ORB," smiled Azrael.

"By the way, the name of this Gundam is Wing Zero, but feel free to change it if you want," shrugged Azrael before taking his leave.

"Wing Zero," muttered Naruto as he went back to staring at the Gundam. If his friends and family could see him now they would probably be extremely disappointed in him since he was taking orders from a man no different then Orochimaru. (Looks exactly like it does from Gundam Wing, but not Endless Waltz.)

**Break**

Captain Wilson had served in the military his entire life, which was reflected in his lifestyle and attitude. He was known to be a strict man and despite him being slightly short in stature, he had an air about him that people seemed to fear and respect. If there was one thing he hated it was insubordination, but as of lately he had been questioning the militaries actions, especially after what happened in Alaska once he received word about the higher ups activating a Cyclops system. It seemed as if both sides were aiming for total genocide of the other and if it kept up things would get completely out of control.

On top of that, he had to put up with one of the most arrogant and spoiled brats he ever had the displeasure of meeting, Lord Azrael, leader of Blue Cosmos. The man was seriously getting on his nerves with his cocky attitude, but there was little he could do since the man outranked him. He would have continued to curse the man, but his thoughts were interrupted when the person he was waiting for arrived on the bridge of his carrier.

"Captain Uzumaki, it is good to see you again," said Captain Wilson as he nodded at the man. Naruto Uzumaki was probably the man he respected more then anyone else because even though the man was extremely cold and distant, he was someone you could count on in a tight spot. The man had saved his and many others lives countless times in battle, which is one of the reason most people looked up to him.

"Captain Wilson, you wished to speak with me?" asked Naruto with the same emotionless look in his eyes that he always had. The young man never showed any emotion and was always so cold that it made Captain Wilson along with many others wonder what happened to him in his past. Whatever happened to him most have horrible because nothing ever affected the man.

"Yes, I wanted to tell you that those three special mobile suits of Lord Azrael have arrived and I was to inform you that you will be having a test run against the Forbidden and Raider at fourteen-hundred hours," said Captain Wilson calmly.

"Hmm, it would be best if you keep at least a few miles away during the fight at all times. From the reports I have read on those pilots they don't care much for exercising restraint even while allies are around," said Naruto with a slight frown before his face became neutral again.

"I was not aware of that, but it doesn't surprise me that these pilots of Azrael are uncontrollable since the man believes he is better then everyone else," frowned Captain Wilson. He wasn't worried about Naruto reporting him for bad mouthing his higher ups because the man didn't really care what people said and didn't waste his time on such trivial matters.

"I would think you would be more worried about fighting against them. If they are as reckless as you say then I doubt they will hold back against you even if it is a spar," said Captain Wilson as he looked at Naruto curiously.

"They won't hold back, I have no doubt that Azrael told them to go all out against me," replied Naruto.

"I take it you aren't bothered by this fact?" said Captain Wilson with a knowing smirk.

"No, because it is only way I will be able to truly test the capabilities of Wing Zero," answered Naruto.

"I am starting to believe what others say about you being suicidal," smirked Captain Wilson.

"If only dying was so easy," mumbled Naruto with a glazed look in his eyes. Captain Wilson heard what Naruto mumbled and gave him a strange look. He had never met a pilot who wanted to die, but then again he had never met anyone who he could say was similar to Naruto.

"Good luck and I look forward to see you making fools of Azrael's men," chuckled Captain Wilson. Naruto just nodded his head at the man before taking his leave since he needed to be prepared for his fight.

**Hangar**

"I still can't believe we are wasting our time fighting against some rookie pilot and his new mobile suit when we could be doing better stuff," scowled Clotho as he started up his mobile suit.

"Who cares, just so long as this pilot proves a challenge before we kill him then it doesn't matter who it is," smirked Shani as he got into his mobile suit. They didn't get to say anything more when Azrael appeared on their screen with his ever constant smirk.

"Now remember boys, I don't want you to hold back because I want to see if this new mobile suit is as powerful as it looks or it was just a waste of money," said Azrael before cutting his connection with them.

"Let's do this," laughed Shani as the sides of the carrier opened up. Clotho and Shani both recognized a small blip on their radar and realized their new opponent was already waiting for them so took off at full speeds towards their target. It wasn't long before both pilots reached their intended target as it calmly waited for them while floating in the air.

"This is it, I knew this would be a waste of time," growled Clotho as he prepared to draw his main weapon, which was a large spiked ball that could crush opposing enemy warship and carriers.

"Let's see how long this mobile suit can last," laughed Shani before drawing his large scythe and charging right at the Gundam. Clotho wasn't about to let him have all the so drew his beam rifle and started to fire at the unknown mobile suit.

'Show you me your power Wing Zero,' thought Naruto as he went into action and dodged the beam shots while charging at the Forbidden.

"Your dead," laughed Shani as he swung his scythe downward, but his eyes narrowed in anger when Wing Zero used its shield to block it before he could complete his swing.

"Foolish," muttered Naruto as he delivered a right kick to Forbidden's chest that knocked it away. He was about to continue his assault, but was forced to dodge right as a large spiked ball passed through the space he was just occupying.

"Damn he's fast," cursed Clotho as his weapon retracted back to its original length and he started to shoot at Wing Zero.

Wing Zero easily dodged the shots, but was soon put on the defensive when the Forbidden started its attack upon it again. The Forbidden transformed into its close combat mode where it had now two large green panels protecting the upper arms and these two large black things were coming out of each side of the chest. Naruto was almost caught off guard when the Forbidden fired its beam weapon and watched, as it seemed to bend in a curve. He didn't get much time to think of a counter as a large spiked ball was headed straight for his cockpit.

"Die bastard," yelled Clotho, but his eyes widened in shock as Zero quickly drew a beam saber from its right wing and used it to destroy his weapon. Zero then raised its shield and started to fire upon the Forbidden, but the beams from its Buster Rifle were just deflected by those large green panels.

"Ha-ha," laughed Shani as he charged in and tried to cut Zero in half with his scythe. Naruto managed to dodge out of the way in time, but quickly raised his shield to the right to deflect the beams fired at him from the Raider. The Raider started to fire upon Zero relentlessly without allowing it any room to counter, while the Forbidden started fire its own special beam at Zero.

"You'll pay for destroying my weapon," growled Clotho as he transformed into his mobile armor and started to use the two plasma cannons to fire upon Zero.

'Hn,' thought Naruto as he was forced on the ropes. He wasn't able to get close enough to use his beam saber against the Forbidden because the Raider kept firing upon him. The Forbidden and Raider were doing a good job at keeping him from mounting an offensive attack, but his luck was just about to change.

"It's all over," smirked Clotho as he had Zero in his sights, but right as he was about to fire he was force to dodge to the side as Shani's own beam almost hit him.

"What the hell Shani? Watch where you are shooting," yelled Clotho angrily. Shani just continued laughing and completely ignored Clotho as he continued his assault upon Naruto.

Naruto's eyes narrowed in anger as he saw the Forbidden attack his own ally and didn't even seemed to be bothered by it. He may have changed greatly over the centuries, but seeing someone attack their own teammate still brought up bad memories with him. It was after seeing that he finally decided to try out the ZERO system.

"Die," screamed Shani in glee as he was about to cut Wing Zero in half, but it did a back flip at the last second to dodge the attack. The Forbidden was about to fire its special beam, but couldn't as Zero fired a couple a shots at him with its buster rifle. Shani smirked as he deflected the shots, but that second he paused to do that action was a huge mistake because two machine gun armaments came out of the shoulders of Wing Zero and fired at his deflectors. The deflectors were designed to deflect particle or plasma blasts and not shells so they were completely destroyed.

"Ahhh!" screamed Shani as his deflectors were destroyed and then before he could react he received a powerful kick in the chest from the Zero that sent him crashing into the water below.

"You forgot about me bastard," grinned Clotho as he came up behind the Zero, but his eyes widened in horror as it ducked under him and used its beam saber damage its right plasma cannon. With one of its plasma cannons damaged, the Raider transformed back into mobile suit form and started to fire at Wing Zero with its beam rifle.

Wing Zero used its superior speed to dodge all the shots with ease and it even looked like it was predicting where Raider was going to fire at next because no movement was wasted.

"This can't be happening," gasped Clotho in fear, as Wing Zero was soon right in front of him with its beam saber raised above his head. Naruto was about to merely disable the Raider like he did the Forbidden, but he was forced to used both of Zero's legs and kick off the Raider right before a familiar particle beam passed through the space both Gundams were occupying a second ago.

"You are going to die for what you did, bastard," screamed Shani as his eyes showed unconcealed rage. He started to fire recklessly at Naruto and if he didn't stop he would end up killing his own partner who had barely dodged the last shot.

"Stop moving," yelled Shani hysterically. What he didn't know was that Naruto had had enough of him.

Naruto quickly discarded his beam saber and drew his buster rifle from out of his shield. He aimed right at the Forbidden's cockpit before firing two shots at the Gundam, but it merely used its thrusters to go right above the shots.

"Ha-ha, you miss-," started Shani before his eyes widened in horror as a third shot came at him from inside the shield. He didn't even get a chance to scream as the shot tore right through his cockpit and obliterated him. The Forbidden floated in air for a second with a hole right through the chest before exploding in a shower of debris.

"Hn," said Naruto emotionlessly before raising his left arm to show a second buster rifle in the shield. He then brought both halves of the rifle together to form one large rifle that he now held in his right hand while his shield remained in his left.

"Shani," spluttered Clotho with wide eyes, but didn't get to say more on the matter when Azrael appeared on his screen and ordered him to return to the ship right away.

**Break**

Naruto slowly came out of his cockpit and used the grappling line to get to the ground. He hit the ground and looked up to see Azrael and Captain Wilson waiting for him. Azrael had a look of glee on his face, which was surprising because most would think he would be upset that he lost one of his new mobile suits.

"That was absolutely incredible, it seems Wing Zero is more powerful then I originally thought especially with you as the pilot," smiled Azrael, as he knew now they had the perfect weapon to destroy the Coordinators.

"One would think you would be upset at losing a pilot and one of our newest mobile suits," said Captain Wilson as he hid his distaste of the man by keeping his face neutral.

"Sacrifices must be made if we are to win this war against those damn Coordinators and it is clear this mobile suit will help us reach that goal. I can't wait to see it in a real battle so have it prepared to be transferred to one of our ships that will be heading to ORB," shrugged Azrael. Captain Wilson was disgusted at how little the man valued life, but kept his opinions to himself like a good soldier.

Naruto wasn't listening to either man as his thoughts and eyes were focused on Wing Zero. He was forced to use the Zero system to defeat the Forbidden and Raider, which was an interesting experience. It was clear now why all others who had tried to use the ZERO system before him had gone insane from it. All the information flooding one's mind would drive anyone crazy, but due to Naruto having been used to receiving tons of information at once, he was able to prevent himself from losing his mind from all the data.

No, what truly had him so focused on the Wing Zero was the strange vision he had received from the Gundam before he deactivated the ZERO system. It was strange because he saw himself standing on a beach as he watched those around him having fun. He had a smile on his face while he watched everything because the world seemed to be in a state of peace.

'No such thing as peace,' thought Naruto with a hint of anger as he dismissed the vision as nothing, but a hallucination. He knew better then anyone that peace never lasted long because something always occurred to bring about death and destruction. It was inevitable and nothing could stop the endless cycle because he had already tried and failed countless times. Hoping for such things only left him with pain because no matter what he did countless loved ones and friends would all eventually end up dying. This was the hard truth Naruto had come to accept long ago, which is why he no longer cared what side he fought for so long as he was put into battle to fight where death was possible. The only dream he had was to one day be killed on the battlefield so he could at least die with some honor since the rest of his dignity had been lost centuries ago.

**ORB**

"Lord Izumi, do you really believe that the Earth Alliance will attack you all if you don't agree to ally with them and meet their demands?" asked Kira.

"It pains me to say this, but there is no doubt in my mind they will attack us if we don't agree to their terms. They just lost Panama two days ago and now ZAFT controls all the Mass Drivers on Earth besides ours. This is the real reason they are attacking us," replied Lord Izumi calmly.

"It's so stupid," yelled Cagalli angrily.

"Yeah, but after what happened in Alaska, I am no longer surprised by their actions," said Mu with a shake of his head.

"I can't believe they would go so far as to attack a neutral nation just because you all refuse to meet their ridiculous demands," sighed Murrue.

"What will you do?" asked Kira though he already knew the answer to that question.

"I will refuse to meet their demands and have the people of ORB start to evacuate immediately. If ORB doesn't stick to its ideals then we become no different then the Earth Alliance or ZAFT," answered Lord Izumi firmly.

"Well if that's the case, then I would like to offer you my aid along with the Archangel. It is the least we can do for all your hospitality," said Murrue with a small smile.

"Count me in too since I'm not too happy with the Earth Alliance's actions of lately either," smirked Mu.

"Thank you, ORB and I, greatly appreciate you lending us your strength in our time of need," said Lord Izumi gratefully.

**Earth Alliance**

"We have reached the borders of ORB sir," said the Captain as he turned to look at Azrael who was sitting in a chair with a smug grin on his face.

"Perfect, have we received a reply from them yet?" asked Azrael before taking a sip of wine from the glass in his hand.

"Yes sir, it seems they refuse to meet our requests by saying that they are neutral and will not join either side," replied the Captain as he read the message they received.

"Ha-ha, I must hand it to Lord Izumi, he sure is a stubborn man, but I am glad because I wanted to get a chance to see what our newest weapon could truly do in battle. Begin our attack on them captain and let's see if there foolish ideals can stand up against our power," chuckled Azrael.

"Yes sir," saluted the Captain before ordering all ships in their fleet to started their attack upon ORB.

**Naruto**

Naruto sat in the cockpit of Wing Zero with his eyes closed and only the light sounds of his breathing could be heard. He knew the battle had started as his advanced hearing could pick up the many sounds of battle outside, but he calmly remained sitting in the dark. The immortal man had lived so long that the sounds of battle no longer phased him in anyway. In fact, what is worse was that the sounds seemed to comfort him, as they were one of the few things that had remained constant in his long life. What a dreadful thing to be able to feel most comfortable when humanity was engaged in a life or death struggle.

"Captain Uzumaki you are cleared to launch," said a tech over the intercom causing the man's eyes to open slowly as his machine came to life. The darkness that he enjoyed so much started to slowly disappear as light slowly bled into his cockpit and showed him the massive battle that was occurring.

"Wing Zero launching," said Naruto as he launched off the panel before transforming in mid air into his mobile armor mode. He then took off at high speeds towards the frontline of the battle.

**Battle**

The Archangel was on the frontlines along with the rest of ORB fleet while the Freedom and Strike helped take out the enemies on the mainland.

"Fire the main cannons," ordered Captain Ramius as she kept her eyes on the battle and tried to keep her crew alive.

"Captain, I just got reading of four high powered plasma blasts heading towards," said Sai with a hint of fear.

"Evade," yelled Captain Ramius just in time. A Plasma Blast passed right through the space they were right in, but the three small ships near them weren't so lucky and were completely destroyed.

"What the hell could have done that?" gasped Murrue with wide eyes before they hardened, as she needed to stay focused as the battle was still going on.

"Ma'am, we have unknown entity approaching, but it seems to give off the same reading as a mobile armor," said Miriallia before bring up the picture on the screen. Captain Ramius's eyes narrowed as she looked at the mobile armor, but soon ordered for evasive measures as it started to fire upon them. Several of the shots came real close to hitting the ship and caused the crew to grip their chairs as the ship shook from the explosions.

"No way, it is a mobile suit," yelled Sai as he watched it transform and took aim directly at the bridge. The crew's eyes widened in shock as it raised its shield and fired at them, but they sighed in relief when Freedom appeared in front of them and deflected the blast using its shield.

"I will deal with this new mobile suit so you all focus on those carriers," announced Kira before engaging the new mobile suit.

**Zero vs. Freedom**

The Freedom used the two plasma cannons mounted on its shoulders and the rail cannons on its hips to fire at the new mobile suit, but it dodged the blasts before they could hit. Kira was then forced to dodge several shots that came at him from the unknown mobile suit.

'Have to watch that rifle that is hidden under his shield,' thought Kira as he used his beam rifle to fire upon Zero. Wing Zero used its shield to easily deflect the beams before using its right hand to draw the beam saber mounted in its left wing structure. Freedom seeing his enemy draw a beam saber drew his own and both Gundams engaged in a fierce close combat fight.

'Impressive,' thought Naruto as they crossed blades and the two fought for dominance. The plasma cannons mounted on Freedom's wings came up and started to take aim at Zero, but sensing the danger Naruto increased his thrust and pushed the Freedom away before raising its shields to block the blasts.

Freedom used that moment of distraction to get in close and make a move to remove Zero's left arm. Zero turned its head and started to fire at the Freedom using the guns mounted on each side of its head forcing the Freedom off course when it dodged the shots. Naruto then started to fire a few shots at the Freedom, but it used its own shield to block them before returning fire with its beam rifle. The two Gundams fired shots at each other as they circled one another before Zero came in close at incredible speeds.

"Fast," cursed Kira as he barely raised his shield in time to block the beam saber, but that seemed to be exactly what Naruto wanted as he slammed his shield into Freedom's head. Zero was about to end the match, but was forced to raised its shield in defense when the rail cannons on Freedom's hips opened fire upon it. This gave Freedom enough time to recover and charge right at Zero ready to take off its shield arm.

Zero blocked the strike with its shield, but that was exactly what Kira wanted as he prepared to fire its plasma cannons at point black. Naruto was impressed the boy had used his own tactic against him, but wasn't about to die that easily and finally used the machine guns hidden in the shoulders of Zero. Kira eyes widened in shock and barely managed to disengage in time before both his plasma cannons were taken out.

"Time to finish this," said Naruto as he gave Kira no time to catch his balance and tossed away his beam saber before taking his buster rifle out of the shield and firing two shots at Freedom. The Freedom turned its thrusters to max and the shots sailed right under it as its plasma and rail cannons were about to take aim. Like when Naruto faced the Forbidden, the pilot didn't know his rifle could split in two and was unprepared for the third shot that came from the shield.

Kira's eyes widened in horror as he saw the plasma blast heading straight for him and knew he wouldn't be able to dodge in time. Someone must like him though because a red mobile suit appeared in front of him and deflected the blast with its own shield.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he eyed the new Gundam that had showed up as he floated in front of both of them in his Wing Zero. This new Gundam looked to be especially built for close combat as Naruto saw multiple beam saber handles.

"Thanks," said Kira, but was surprised when a familiar face appeared on his screen.

"I am here to help you," said the boy as Kira eyes widened in shock.

"Athrun?" gasped Kira as he stared at his childhood friend.

"We need to talk, but not right now. Right now we have more important matters to deal with," said Athrun as he was referring to the mobile suit that flying directly in front of them.

"Right," agreed Kira as his eyes hardened as he prepared to fight next to Athrun to take out this new mobile suit that was able to match the abilities of his own.

The Justice and Freedom dodged to the side as Zero started to fire upon them both using both halves of its buster rifle to do so. Athrun quickly drew his twin beam sabers and connected them to form one large beam before charging at Naruto. Zero dodged the Justice's strike, but that seemed to be their plan as he came under direct fire from the Freedom's plasma and rail cannons. Naruto managed to raise his shield just in time, but lost the right half of his buster rifle in the Freedom's blasts. He quickly jettisoned the second beam saber from the right wing mount and caught it firmly his right hand before activating it in time to parry the Justice's blow.

"These two seem to work well together," muttered Naruto as he was completely on the defensive for the past two minutes. The only thing that was saving his life was his lightning fast reflexes and Zero's incredible speed. He couldn't keep this up for much longer or he would be destroyed. Luckily, the Earth Alliance signaled a retreat, which caused the Justice and Freedom to stop their assault on him.

'We'll meet again,' thought Naruto before transforming into his mobile armor and taking off back to his ship. Athrun and Kira just watched him go with looks of apprehension in their eyes because that man had just fought against them both and managed to hold his own. Anyone who could fight against there two Gundams at once without any help was something to watch out for in the future.

**Break**

"I can't believe you spent the entire battling fighting some unknown mobile suit," yelled Azrael unhappily.

"It was no ordinary mobile suit, it was able to keep up with Zero with little difficulty and had incredible firepower at its disposal. There was also a second suit that showed up that was almost able to match my own suit in speed," said Naruto not in the least bit intimidated by the man.

"Interesting, to think that there are two suits out there able to keep up with your mobile suit is nothing short of amazing. I wonder if it was ORB who built them or someone else," muttered Azrael thoughtfully.

"Captain Uzumaki, the repairs to your Gundam will be done shortly," saluted a tech before Naruto dismissed him with a nod of his head.

"I want you to capture one of these new mobile suits, but it doesn't matter which one. If you can't then destroy them, but make sure you don't completely destroy them so we have something to salvage," grinned Azrael before leaving the hangar.

**ORB**

Kira and Athrun were sitting next to each other as they had just finished talking with one another and had finally reconciled about everything that had happened between them. Even though the two were now friends again they didn't seem to happy because they each had a solemn look on their face even after Cagalli had hugged them when they had finally made up.

"Why the long faces? One would think you would be happy now that you have settled everything between you two," said Mu with a smirk.

"In the battle today, we faced a new Earth Alliance mobile suit and whoever was piloting it was extremely good," said Kira with a slight frown.

"He was able to hold us both off without taking any real damage," said Athrun causing Mu to raise his eyebrow because he knew how good the two kids were.

"If I were you I would take this time to rest since the Earth Forces are still out there and will probably attack again real soon. You will need all the rest you can get if this new mobile suit and pilot are as good as you say," said Mu seriously. Kira and Athrun seemed to relax a bit after hearing that because he was right and they would need all their strength if they met that pilot again.

**Break**

"I think it is time to finish this useless nation off," said Azrael with a smirk as the Captain looked at him in surprise.

"Sir?" replied the Captain.

"I want you to give the order to attack and this time I want this stupid nation and its foolish ideals to burn to the ground," ordered Azrael.

"Yes sir," said the Captain before relaying the orders. The Earth Forces was again started to deploy their weapons against the nation of ORB. They didn't even try to negotiate with them even though ORB had been sending them constant messages, which Azrael didn't bother to answer.

**Battle**

'Where are you two?' thought Naruto as he fired upon two more ORB ships before flying off, not even bothering to watch as they were destroyed. He was just about to head down towards the ground to help push back the ORB forces when he dodged to the side in order to avoid being hit by multiples blasts that came at him from the Freedom.

Naruto returned a couple shots at the Freedom before quickly jettisoning the beam saber in the right wing. He caught the beam saber, activated it, and raised it above his head all in one quick motion as he crossed beams with the Justice that had tried to come at him from above. The Zero pulled back and let momentum carry the Justice past him before going to kick him the back, but was caught off guard when Fatum Pack that was usually attached to Justice's back hit him right in the stomach. The Freedom appeared on the far right side of Zero and fired all its weapon upon the mobile suit.

Naruto thinking quickly grabbed the Fatum Pack before it got out of the way and used it as a makeshift shield to protect it from the full brunt of Freedom's attack. His plan worked and he quickly threw the Pack away from him just as it exploded in a shower of debris.

'I have no choice, there teamwork has gotten even better,' thought Naruto before activating the ZERO system and information instantly started to flood his mind.

"Come on Kira," said Athrun as he drew his twin beam sabers and charged at Wing Zero with the intent of finishing this fight quickly. Kira just nodded his head before taking aim and firing again at Zero so that if it dodged it would be in the perfect spot for Athrun to engage it.

Zero dodged the shots just like Kira and Athrun planned, but just as Justice was about to take off its right arm, but Zero caught Justice's arm in his right hand while it's back was to the Justice. Athrun's eyes widened in shock before he groaned in pain as Zero's left elbow slammed into his head and forced him to lose his grip on his beam saber. The Freedom was coming at Zero from the front while it was still holding the Justice's right arm, but barely got of the way in time as Zero started to fire upon it using the beam rifle in its shield, which was in its left hand. While Freedom was veered off course, Zero lifted its legs before slamming them into Justice's chest and then pushed off the mobile suit at amazing speeds.

Kira barely had anytime to respond as it move back just in time to avoid being cut in half, but its shield was caught in the swipe and was cut in half. Zero inclined its head slightly and started to fire right at Freedom's rail cannons, which it managed to destroy the one on the left hip before turning around to block the shots fired at him from the now recovered Justice.

"Kira we need to do something or he is going to get by us," panted Athrun as he barely dodged the beam strike from Zero, but wasn't able to dodge the spinning kick to his chest.

"I know," said Kira as he went down to help Athrun out, but both boys stopped when they received a signal from the Archangel to pull back. They were surprised when they noticed that Zero had stopped attacking them just as they received the signal. A second later, a man with sun kissed blond hair and cold blue eyes appeared on their screen.

"You allowed me to retreat so I am returning the favor, but next time we meet I will not stop," said the man before closing the link. Athrun and Kira watched in surprise as the Zero transformed into its mobile armor form and went down to help the rest of its forces break through the last line of defense.

"Let's go Athrun, this retreat is an order from Lord Izumi himself so it must be important," said Kira before taking off towards the meeting area. Athrun just nodded his head before following his friend.

**Break**

"I can't believe that old fool destroyed the Mass Driver," yelled Azrael in anger. They had managed to take over ORB, but it was pointless now that the Mass Driver was gone since that was the main reason for attacking it.

"We have been ordered to head over to Victoria and help with the operation to reacquire the Mass Driver there," said the Captain.

"Hmm, very well, I guess it doesn't matter so long as we acquire a Mass Driver besides we did finally get to destroy this foolish nation and that is good enough for me," shrugged Azrael as he calmed down and smoothed out his expensive suit.

"Let us be on our way then because I wish to get to space as soon as possible so I may acquire those one of those spectacular new mobiles suits," smirked Azrael.

"Yes sir," said the Captain before ordering all ships to turn around and make haste to Victoria.

**Chairman of PlANTS**

"Chairman, it seems the Earth Forces were successful in reacquiring Victoria and have launched a large amount of their forces into outer space," said Commander Rau.

"Hmm, that is nothing new since we already knew they would probably get Victoria back, but what I want to know is if there has been any word from Athrun," said Chairman Zala as he turned to look at Rau.

"I am afraid not sir, but you did give him a highly classified mission. He is probably afraid to contact anyone in fear that the transmission will be intercepted," said Rau as he inwardly smirked. Everything was going according to his plan and soon humanity would be judged properly.

"I want you to keep an eye out for him and continue to try to contact him then report back to me immediately. Is that understood Commander?" ordered Chairman Zala.

"Yes sir, I will contact you immediately if I hear any word from him at all," bowed Rau before leaving the man's office.

**Victoria**

"So this is the new ship that has been built, impressive," said Azrael with that cocky smile of his. Naruto quietly followed besides the General and Azrael as he observed the new ship of the Earth Alliance.

"It was designed after the Archangel and has many of the same capabilities and the person assigned to Captain of this ship even used to be part of the Archangel before it turned traitor," said the General as they boarded the ship to find several members of the crew waiting for them in a military fashion. A beautiful woman with short purple hair and exotic purple eyes stepped forward and saluted the trio.

"Lord Azrael, Captain Uzumaki, I would like to introduce you to Captain Natarle Badgiruel," said the General. Natarle was surprised to learn that the leader of Blue Cosmos would be aboard the Dominion, but was in shock to see the legendary ace pilot Uzumaki Naruto in front of her as was the rest of the crew that was there at the time.

"It is an honor to have you both aboard the Dominion," said Natarle as she glanced at Naruto, and noticed him nod his head at her. She swallowed nervously as she saw how cold and lifeless his eyes were, but her attention was diverted when Azrael made some perverted comment.

"Wow, is having a beautiful Captain an added bonus of being aboard this ship," smirked Azrael as he checked out Natarle without an ounce of shame. The woman wanted to scowl at him, but knew she would be reprimanded for it so kept her face neutral.

"I assure you Lord Azrael that Captain Badgiruel comes from a long military line and she is perfectly capable of leading this ship. She knows first-hand all its capabilities since she was part of the Archangel before she was transferred," said the General firmly.

"Oh good, because we will be hunting the Archangel," said Azrael to the surprise of Natarle since she thought the Archangel had been destroyed at the Alaska base.

"Sir?" asked Natarle as she turned to look at the General.

"Oh you don't know that the Archangel survived the Alaska base incident? We even had the pleasure of fighting against them when we went to ORB before they managed to escape," smiled Azrael.

"If you don't mind Captain, I would like a tour of this ship after I settle in," said Naruto as he interrupted Azrael and his constant rambling.

"Of course, I would be honored to show you around. Would you like a tour as well Lord Azrael?" replied Natarle.

"No I am fine, I am just going to get a nap after making sure all my effects have been brought aboard," declined Azrael.

"I will be ready in an hour for that tour after I am shown to my room," said Naruto.

"Yes sir, I will have one of my crew escort you to your room," said Natarle before assigning one of the current crewmembers to do it. Naruto nodded his head at her before following the person assigned to show him to his room.

**Break**

Not many things could faze Natarle, as she was a no-nonsense woman and did as she was ordered while expecting others to do the same. She could honestly say that no one other then her father had ever intimidated her, but here she was walking next to a man that was a living legend among the Earth Forces and she was nervous as can be. It was only supposed to be a simple tour of the ship, but already ten minutes into the tour, she couldn't stop herself from staring into his eyes, which were as cold as ice. He was so much younger then she would have thought yet his eyes told a different story.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" asked Naruto as he stopped walking and broke the beautiful woman out of her thoughts.

"No, I am sorry, but I just couldn't believe how young you are," blushed Natarle before recomposing herself.

"Don't let my looks deceive you, I am older, then I look," said Naruto as he gazed into the woman's eyes. She couldn't stop the shiver that went down her spine as those beautiful yet cold blue eyes stared into her own and seemed to be looking into her very soul.

"I am sorry if I offended you, I won't let it happen again," said Natarle firmly.

"I heard you were once aboard the Archangel," said Naruto as he started a conversation with the woman after walking together for a few moments in silence. He didn't know why he felt this urge to speak, but would worry about it later.

"Yes sir," replied Natarle as she looked at him curiously. Before he didn't want to talk at all, but now it seemed to be the exact opposite.

"Will you be able to shoot them down?" asked Naruto causing Natarle to stumble slightly, but not enough for him to take notice.

"What do you mean sir?" asked Natarle confused.

"If you were truly aboard the Archangel until Alaska then you must have known the crew and people on it quite well. Will you be able to shoot down the ship carrying a bunch of people you spent several months with?" explained Naruto causing Natarle eyes to narrow in thought before replying.

"I will do my duty as I am told, you do not need to worry about that sir," said Natarle with a hard look in her eyes.

"I see," said Naruto with a hint of disappointment that Natarle managed to pick up. Why did he care if she could shoot down a bunch of traitors even if they were old crewmembers of hers? He had given up caring a long time ago so why was this affecting him. Could it be those visions from Wing Zero that now involved his past were actually affecting him?

"Forgive me sir, but you seem upset with my answer, why is that?" said Natarle as she hoped he wouldn't reprimand her.

"I am not upset, but merely slightly surprised because I don't think I could do it," answered Naruto.

"You don't think you would be able to shoot down a bunch of traitors?" replied Natarle surprised.

"Not if I knew them on a personal level like you do," said Naruto causing Natarle's eyes to widen before she looked down at the ground. What the hell was he talking about? He had been the one to kill Sasuke and that was somebody he considered a brother. Why was he starting to care all of a sudden? This was not good because he had stopped getting close to people centuries ago so he wouldn't have to worry about the pain of losing someone he cared for.

"I may know them, but my responsibility to the military comes first before any personal attachments I may have," said Natarle, but Naruto could hear the slight hesitation. A part of her obviously thought otherwise, but he wasn't going to say anything because he had spoken enough. He just nodded his head and gestured for Natarle to continue with the tour as the conversation was over.

**Outer Space: Abandoned Colony L4**

"Well looks like we now have three ships and two of which are stolen with one wanted by ZAFT and the other by the Earth Alliance. We sure do now how to get into tough situations," said Mu with a smirk.

"I agree with you there, but what is life without a little excitement?" smirked Andrew Waltfeld as he drank some coffee while sitting down in his chair.

"The question is what we do now?" said Kira causing everyone to think about that question.

"It is my hope that these three ships will be able to end this war and finally bring about peace," said Lacus.

"Hmm, that sure is one hell of a goal to accomplish with just three ships," chuckled Mu as he leaned against the wall with his arms behind his head.

"I would be glad to help you achieve peace, but how do you propose we go about doing it since we aren't very liked by many," said Murrue as she stood next to Mu.

"I hate to say it, but so long as my father is Chairman I don't think there will ever be peace between the PLANTs and Earth," frowned Athrun as Cagalli looked up at him with a sad look in her eyes.

"Not only that, but no way Lord Azrael will ever agree to a peace treaty with the PLANTs when he wouldn't even negotiate with ORB," said Cagalli as her eyes burned unconcealed hate for the man responsible for leading the attack against ORB.

"Honestly, I am more worried about that new mobile suit the kid was talking about earlier. I mean, anyone who is able to take out both the Freedom and Justice is a major threat," said Andrew, which everyone agreed to.

"It doesn't make any sense, we were clearly winning against him, but then in an instant he was able to take us out without any problems," said Athrun confused.

"I think the pilot of that Gundam may not be as much of a threat as you might believe since Kira and Athrun did say he let them go instead of continuing to fight when he had the upper hand," pointed out Lacus.

"Any chance you got a good look at the man? Could be useful in the future if we know what he looks like," said Ledonir, Cagalli's personal bodyguard.

"Yeah, um he had spikey blond hair and sky blue eyes," offered Kira causing Mu to tense, which Murrue noticed.

"Mu?" asked Murrue curiously causing everyone to look at the man.

"Tell me, when he spoke to you, did he show any emotion at all?" asked Mu as everyone looked at him strangely.

"Err, no, actually, now that I think about it, his eyes were extremely cold and lifeless," said Athrun thoughtfully.

"This is not good," said Mu as he started to shuffle around nervously.

"Do you know who he is or not?" demanded Cagalli through narrowed eyes. Mu looked around to see everyone looking at him expectantly, which caused him to sigh before answering the girl's question.

"Yeah I know him and so does every other person in the Earth Alliance," said Mu.

"Why don't you just give us a name instead of dragging this whole thing out," said Andrew as he finished his cup of coffee.

"His name is Captain Naruto Uzumaki and he is the top ace of Earth Alliance," frowned Mu as his eyes became hard. Murrue gasped while Andrew got a grim look on his face, but the others still didn't know who he was.

"Who is he?" asked Cagalli confused.

"His name sounds familiar," said Athrun as he tried to remember where he had heard that name before.

"Naruto Uzumaki is probably the most dangerous man I have ever faced in battle including you kid," said Andrew with a hard look in his eyes. Kira was surprised by that comment because he had almost killed Andrew and did kill his lover so who could be worse then him.

"He is responsible for almost all of the Earth Forces victories against ZAFT before those new Strike Dagger mobile suits were put into mass production. I have never seen him in action, but I do know that he is the first Natural to be able to pilot a mobile suit to the same level and degree as a Coordinator," explained Murrue.

"I remember hearing my father speak with several council members concerning someone by the name of Uzumaki. They were very worried about his abilities and how he was one of the few Naturals who had successfully taken out multiple GINN units," said Lacus surprising Kira and Athrun.

"I believe the Strike was originally met to have been made for his use," said Mu.

"Have you ever fought besides him?" asked Kira curiously.

"Yeah once, but the thing was I barely did any fighting and the same goes for the others who were there as well. I have never seen a mobile armor do the things he could do with it," answered Mu as he remembered that particular battle clearly.

"I fought against him once as well back in the desert when he used a modified Skygrasper to fight. He took out three of my BuCUEs before sending us a message that he was only passing through and not there to fight, but he would take out anyone else that continued to fire upon him. If I hadn't been there personally and seen what he did I probably would have thought he was too arrogant for his own good, but he has skill in spades," said Andrew as he got another cup of coffee.

"He doesn't seem like some cold-hearted bastard if he sent you a message like that so why does he work with Azrael?" asked Cagalli.

"I would like to know the answer to that question as well," said Lacus with a slight frown on her beautiful face.

"Well, if I had to give a reason I would say it is pretty much the same reason that Natarle had for doing things, which was why she always upset. He does it because he is a good soldier and follows the orders he is given," shrugged Mu.

"He's very suicidal from what I heard and saw first-hand so he may just have a death wish," said Andrew with a shrug of his own.

**Dominion**

'Why? Why do you keep sending me visions of my past?' thought Naruto as his eyes narrowed in anger. He was supposed to be over what happened, but now he wasn't so sure anymore and it was all because of these damn visions he kept having. They were visions of him when he was happy as he spent time with his friends and teachers. It was something he had took so much time putting behind him because of the pain he felt as he remembered that they had all died just like everyone else he had come to care for.

'I don't know what you are trying to tell me, but I have accepted I will be forever alone and nothing will change that,' thought Naruto as his eyes hardened. His thoughts were interrupted when he sensed someone behind him and turned around to Lieutenant Badgiruel looking at him curiously before saluting him.

"Lieutenant," greeted Naruto with a nod before turning to look back up at Wing Zero. Natarle smiled slightly before standing next to the stoic man and looking up at the mobile suit with him.

"You know even though it causes the deaths of countless lives the mobile suit does have a certain beauty to it," said Natarle as she looked upon Wing Zero. She usually kept such emotions and comments to herself, but she felt so safe around this man despite his cold nature. There was something about him that let her know he wouldn't think any less of her if she wasn't always following orders.

"It's ironic isn't it that some of the most beautiful things in the world were designed to cause death," replied Naruto. Everyone looked at the ancient buildings and accomplishments of the past with awe and respect, but Naruto never looked at them like that. He knew the true reason behind many of the great structures and how certain accomplishments were made and the truth wasn't pretty.

"I suppose you are right," conceded Natarle as she glanced at the man out of the corner of her eyes.

"I wanted to tell you that we are headed for the abandoned colonies at L4 where Lord Azrael believes the Archangel is located along with those two new mobile suits," said Natarle as she broke the silence.

"I see, I look forward to fighting besides you when the time comes," said Naruto with a small nod of his head.

"I am afraid that it will be my extreme honor to fight with you sir since you have been in more battles then I have," replied Natarle as she looked up at Naruto.

"Don't let Azrael dictate what you want to do because he knows absolutely nothing about being in a real battle," said Naruto as he looked down at Natarle before taking his leave. Natarle just watched him go with a contemplative look on her face.

**Break**

"Sir, we have reached the L4 colony and we are getting several large readings from inside the colony. One matches the Archangel," said Natarle as the Dominion floated about half-mile away from the colony.

"Perfect, now is our opportunity to capture those mobile suits," smiled Azrael as he couldn't wait until they managed to capture one.

"Ma'am, we have detected several ZAFT ships located on the other side of the colony," said a tech causing Natarle to frown.

"It seems we have some competition," said Azrael amused. Natarle just glanced at the man before making a decision.

"We will ignore them unless they make some move against us, but until then we will focus all our attention on the Archangel since that is our main objective," ordered Natarle.

"Oh look, they even saved us some trouble by coming out to us," laughed Azrael as the Archangel came out of the colony. He was greatly surprised though when Natarle opened a link with them and started to ask for there surrender. It was amusing to say the least as the woman tried to convince the traitors to surrender, but ultimately, it proved useless as they sent out those two new mobile suits.

"Have Captain Uzumaki launch immediately and start loading the Wombats," ordered Natarle as she was prepared to take out the Archangel since they wouldn't surrender.

"That was most amusing, but make sure to remind Captain Uzumaki that the goal is to capture one of those mobile suits so make sure he doesn't destroy them both," said Azrael as he sat there with a smug look on his face.

"I am sure Captain Uzumaki is well aware of his orders," replied Natarle harshly causing Azrael to blink in surprise.

**Justice & Freedom vs. Wing Zero**

"Remember Kira, we have to work together otherwise we might not be able to beat him," said Athrun as he watched the Wing Zero approach them.

"Yeah," agreed Kira as he started to aim at the approaching mobile suit. No matter what, he wouldn't lose a second time to this mobile suit because he would not fail in protecting his friends.

Wing Zero was in its mobile armor form as it started to fire upon the Justice and Freedom, but both Gundams got out of the way. Zero transformed into his mobile suit form before splitting its buster rifles and unleashing a barrage of shots at each Gundam that was on either side of it. Justice and Freedom started to return fire upon the Zero, which forced it to reconnect its buster rifle before using its incredible speed to weave in and out of each shot.

"Damn, he is even better then before," cursed Athrun as he sent his Fatum Pack at the Wing Zero just as it dodged the shots fired at it from Kira. He then quickly grabbed his beam boomerang and tossed at the spot he predicted Naruto would go to when he dodged his Fatum Pack.

Wing Zero dodged the Fatum Pack just as Athrun knew he would and his beam boomerang was just about to take off its head, but Zero quickly used its shield to knock it off course. Naruto just knocked away the beam boomerang when the Freedom came at him from above and he barely drew his own beam saber in time to parry the strike, but grunted in pain when he wasn't to block the kick to his chest. The Justice came at him from behind, but the Zero managed to turn just in time to dodge the beam strike that would have taken off its shield arm though that was exactly wanted Athrun was hoping he would do. The Fatum Pack came speeding out nowhere right at the Zero, but Naruto quickly used the machine guns mounted on his shoulders to destroy the Pack before it pierced through the chest of his mobile suit.

He was still caught in the explosion, which knocked him backwards as several beeping sounds went off in his cockpit to let him know someone was locking onto him. A second later, several beam shots came at him, but he got out of the way just in time before catching the Justice that was sneaking up behind him off guard by slamming his shield into its face. Naruto then quickly used his beam saber to take off the Justice's left arm, but it managed to move out of the way just in time and only lost its shield in the slice.

"We had him," cursed Athrun as Kira eyes narrowed in anger. He was about to engage the Zero in close combat when he noticed the Archangel was in trouble and quickly went over to help it out by going into Full Burst Mode and taking out multiple missiles that were heading at it from the Dominion.

"I will not let you destroy the Archangel," snapped Kira as he went into Seed mode.

"Is it possible he has a ZERO system too?" wondered Naruto as he found himself completely on the defensive by the Freedom as the Justice waited for an opening to help.

The Zero managed to parry the beam saber, but before it could try to overpower the Freedom, it was hit at point black by the blasts of its rail cannons. Naruto groaned in pain as his cockpit started to go on the fritz, but noticed the Freedom was almost on top of him while the Justice provided cover fire that forced Naruto to dodge rapidly. He couldn't win like this and just like the last time he fought these two he activated the ZERO system.

"Kira," yelled Athrun as he saw his friend just barely dodge a counter beam strike from the Wing Zero, but still lost both plasma cannons on its shoulder. This caused him to snap and go into Seed Mode. He quickly grabbed his beam boomerang and threw it straight at Wing Zero before charging at it using his twin beam sabers.

Naruto was using his machine guns to keep the Freedom at a distance, but was forced to duck suddenly as a familiar looking beam boomerang passed through the space his just occupied. Zero quickly did a complete 180 and crossed beams with the Justice, but was overpowered as the Justice powered up its thrusters to full blast to push Naruto off balance and into the beam boomerang that was coming at him from behind. The Freedom was coming from above with its own beam saber ready to disable the Zero once and for all, but Kira's eyes widened in shock when the mobile suit did a back flip in slow motion and watched as it caught the beam boomerang in its right hand. At the peak of its flip, he fired several shots at the Justice with its Buster Rifle before twisting his body and using the momentum from his flip to throw the beam boomerang right at the Freedom.

Freedom raised its shield to block the attack, but the beam boomerang cut right through it though Kira released the shield at the last second so he didn't lose his mobile suits arm too. The Zero was about to power up his buster rifle to 75, but stopped when he saw the retreat flares from the Dominion. He noticed that the ORB ship, Kusanagi, had teamed up with the Archangel and forced the Dominion to retreat as the two enemy warships overpowered it. Naruto quickly transformed into his mobile armor form and headed back to the Dominion.

Kira and Athrun just watched the Zero Gundam leave as they both panted heavily as they came down from their Seed Mode. The Dominion may have been forced to retreat, but both pilots knew they had lost against the Earth Force pilot and were lucky to be alive.

"There is no way he is a Natural," panted Athrun as he came out of his Seed Mode.

"Yeah, but I get the feeling he isn't a Coordinator either," panted Kira as he came out of his Seed Mode as well.

"We have to get back inside the Colony and get fixed up because we don't know when we will be needed out here again to face ZAFT or the Earth Forces again," said Athrun as he headed back towards the colony with Kira following right beside him.

**Break**

"Ugh, we almost had them until that annoying ORB ship showed up. I swear that country is like roaches because just when you think you killed them all more start to show up," sighed Azrael in annoyance.

"It wasn't a complete failure since we did manage to damage the Archangel greatly and Captain Uzumaki also managed to deal several decisive blows to those new mobile suits," said Natarle as she was still in awe of his abilities as she looked over the tapes of his battle against the Justice and Freedom. She had only ever seen Kira fight with such skill before and it was just plain incredible that a Natural was able to match the abilities of a Coordinator.

"I suppose so, but I do expect better results next time and it better be soon before ZAFT decides to stop sitting around and make its move," warned Azrael.

"I was impressed with your abilities out there Lieutenant, it seems that someone made a wise decision in assigning you to this ship," said Naruto as he entered the bridge and the crew instantly stood up and saluted him including Natarle. The man just nodded his head before telling them to return to their stations.

"Thank you sir," said Natarle as she kept her face neutral, but inwardly she was beaming to be praised by a veteran like him.

"Lord Azrael, I do not believe it is possible to capture those two Gundams as you hope for. There abilities compliment each other perfectly even if the pilots don't seem to have much team training because with each battle their coordination gets better," said Naruto as he turned to look at the arrogant man.

"Then we will have to find a way to split them up won't we? It shouldn't be too hard since you did say their teamwork wasn't that great so I am sure you could use the ZERO system to analyze a way to effectively split them up," smirked Azrael. He didn't see the heavy glare Natarle was sending him from the way he was talking down to Naruto like that, but it was doubtful it would have bothered him much even if he did.

"If you want detailed information on their fighting capabilities then I can supply you with that information right now since the ZERO system has fully analyzed their capabilities. The only thing I wouldn't be able to tell you is what they are using as a power source," said Naruto.

"That is the key to everything though isn't it, because knowing what powers these unique mobile suits is what I truly want to know," smiled Azrael as he rested his head in his hand. Natarle was about to ask him why it mattered so much, but a small glance from Naruto told her to remain silent.

"I see, then I will see what I can do in learning about what power source those two units are using," said Naruto with a small nod at Natarle before leaving the bridge.

"Sir," saluted Natarle to Azrael before leaving the bridge to go speak with Naruto. It didn't take her long to catch up with the stoic man and she started to calmly walk next to him.

"You wish to speak with me Lieutenant?" said Naruto as he glanced at the woman.

"Yes, I was curious as to why you take orders from Lord Azrael when you don't fall under his jurisdiction and it is clear you don't care too much for him," said Natarle with a slight frown because she knew if she had as much freedom as Naruto she wouldn't let someone like Lord Azrael override her own authority.

"You don't care much for him either from what I can tell yet you still do as your told," replied Naruto.

"I don't have a choice, he is my superior, but he is not yours," argued Natarle with a slight narrow of her eyes. Naruto stopped walking and turned to face Natarle with a cold look in his eyes that sent a shiver down his spine.

_Flashback_

"_Why?" cried Naruto as he cradled the hug of a beautiful girl with smooth silky black hair. Her pale eyes stared up at him lovingly before she coughed up some blood and one could easily tell she was on the verge of death._

"_I wanted to, it was my choice," coughed the girl as life started to fade from her beautiful pale eyes._

"_Hinata-chan, why didn't you just agree to their demands? You didn't have to die," cried Naruto as tears fell down from his eyes in streams. The girl smiled painfully at him as she reached out a hand and wiped away one of his tears, which made him cry harder._

"_I was always told I didn't have a choice that my destiny was already set for me. I truly believed that until I met you and saw how you constantly fought against such things as fate and destiny. I rather die free then be chained to others my whole life. I love you Naruto-kun, please, never give into fate and stay free," smiled Hinata before giving him one last beautiful smile as she fell into an eternal slumber._

"_No!" howled Naruto as his eyes bled red and crimson chakra started to surround his body as hate rolled off him in ways. That night was a night no one would ever forget because it was the day Naruto slaughtered every Hyuuga from the main branch leaving only Hinata's sister, Hanabi, alive. It was the day where he started to lose faith in humanity and his eyes started to lose the light they were so well known for._

_End Flashback_

Natarle watched worried as Naruto gripped his head in pain, but backed up when he seemed to recompose himself before looking at her with a strange look in his eyes.

"Your life is your own, never let anyone else tell you how to live it," muttered Naruto before leaving a confused Natarle behind.

'What did he mean by that?' thought Natarle as she thought about the words that Naruto had just said to her.

**ZAFT**

'Damn that boy, he could ruin all my plans, but I won't let him,' thought Rau angrily as he flew out of the colony. He had hoped revealing Mu and Kira's true past would have broke the boy, but his plan had failed as Mu had protected him before he could kill him.

"Captain," said Rau as he opened a link with his ship.

"Yes Commander?" replied an older man as he appeared on Rau's screen.

"I want you to put the girl from the Earth Forces in the escape pod and launch her towards the Earth Forces ship then I want you to engage the Eternal and its allies," ordered Rau to the confusion of the Captain.

"Sir," started the Captain, but stopped when Rau yelled at him angrily.

"Do not question me and do it now," ordered Rau angrily before closing the link. That girl needed to deliver that disk to the Earth Forces otherwise his plans for humanity would fail.

**Battle**

The ZAFT forces were trying to take down the Kusanagi and Eternal while the Archangel was engaged with the Dominion. They were all at a stalemate at the moment, since the Freedom and Justice were both busy fighting the Wing Zero so they couldn't really help with the escape of their ships.

"Kira, we need to help our ships get out of here or we are finished," grunted Athrun as he crossed beams with Naruto. Wing Zero was forced to break there stalemate as several blasts passed through the spot it was just in.

"I know, but if we don't deal with this Gundam first then it will attack the ships," cursed Kira as he dodged several blasts from Zero's own buster rifle. Justice and Freedom were about to continue their attack when a female's voice came in through one of their links that Kira instantly recognized.

"Kira, someone help me please, I have a key here that will help end the war," yelled Flay in a panic as her escape pod floated through space.

"A key to end the war? There is no key to end wars," frowned Naruto, but before he could reengage the Justice and Freedom, Azrael appeared on his screen.

"Captain, I want you to recover that pod and bring it to the ship right away. Consider this a direct order to finally destroy those two new mobile suits so long as you get me whoever is in that pod," smirked Azrael before closing the link.

Naruto's eyes just narrowed before he activated the ZERO system as he saw the Freedom was headed towards the pod as well.

"Kira," yelled Athrun as he saw his friend speed towards the spot, but didn't get a chance to help him when Zero used his moment of distraction to cut off his left arm and kick him away into the distance. Kira heard his friend's scream of pain and turned around to see the Zero heading straight for him after having taken care of the Justice.

Kira was still so worried about Flay that his movements were sloppy and Zero ducked under his beam strike before taking off his right hand in one clean swipe. The Freedom was like a sitting duck as Zero raised its shield arm and fired a shot at point blank range that took off Freedom's head.

"Ahhh!" screamed Kira as his cockpit went haywire while the Zero sped off and picked up Flay's escape pod. His eyes widened in horror as he realized the Zero was heading back to the Dominion with the pod and was about to give chase, but was restrained by the Justice's good arm.

"No Kira, we are in no condition to give chase," yelled Athrun as he held his hysterical friend back. Kira just started to scream in anger before slamming his hands down as tears brimmed his eyes. He had once again failed to protect a friend and now she was in the hands of the enemy.

The Eternal and Kusanagi had managed to break through the ZAFT forces by destroying their main ship. The Dominion had pulled back once Naruto had returned the escape pod to the ship so the Archangel soon followed its fellow ships off into space. There was only one person truly happy with the outcome of this battle and that was Commander Rau, as he knew now nothing could stop his plans for humanity. Everything would come to an end soon now that the Earth Forces had captured the girl.

**Lunar Base**

"Look at this, this is proof that those damn Coordinators have breached the treaty not to use nuclear technology," smiled Azrael as he showed them the date on the file he had taken off the girl Flay. That foolish girl had truly given him the key to end this war because with this data on N-Jammers he would finally be able to convince these foolish people to use nukes against the PLANTS.

"Hmm, we could use this technology to fix the nuclear problem on the planet while at the same time gathering more resentment towards ZAFT," said a General causing Azrael to grit his teeth in anger.

It was true that ever since ZAFT launched millions of those N-Jammers into the Earth's surface radio problems as long as many other problems had occurred with the economy. This technology could fix all that, but Azrael could care less about that because he just wanted to nuke the hell out of the Coordinators.

"No, don't you see we could end this war right now. If we attack them, using nukes right now, they will be totally defenseless and we can crush them in one swift blow. We didn't build all those nukes so that they could sit there and gather dust so let's use them already," growled Azrael angrily as his eyes burned with an insane glint in them. Many of the other generals did like the idea of ending this war once and for all, which caused the majority to vote on Azrael's plan.

"Very well, I will let you come up with the plan on how you plan to finish this war," sighed the President before calling an end to the meeting. Nothing could wipe the large smile off Azrael's face as he would finally get rid of the Coordinators once and for all, for their pure and blue world.

**Break**

Naruto was once again standing before his Gundam the Wing Zero as many thoughts crossed his mind. He had been thinking a lot about Natarle Badgiruel and the way she reminded him of Hanabi and Hinata. The woman came from a very strict military family, which was easily seen by the way she followed orders to the book going so far that she ignores her own emotions on things. When he looked into her eyes, he could see the inner turmoil that she suffered on a daily basis and it pained him for some reason. It was just too eerie how much she reminded him of the Hyuuga sisters and every time he was near her, he felt this urge to protect her.

These were emotions he had kept locked up for many centuries so that he wouldn't have to deal with the pain of the past, but ever since getting Wing Zero they had been resurfacing again. He knew he had to stop getting so close to that woman because it would only cause him pain in the long-run when she died and he continued to live.

If only the pilots of the Justice and Freedom were more experienced then maybe he would get his wish to finally die, but like all other great warriors he faced, they just didn't have enough experience fighting compared to him. He did respect their abilities though because they were able to keep up with him even when he had the ZERO system activated, but they were too caring of those around them. This allowed them to get distracted during battle and those distractions had been costing them their fights against him. Ironic, he remembered when he used to care about what happened around him, but now he could care less or that is what he told himself.

'I wonder what you all would say if you saw me now? Would you be disappointed with me and could you forgive me for what I have become?' thought Naruto as he stared up at Wing Zero as if it held the answers he sought.

His thoughts were interrupted when he sensed someone was spying and glanced over to the corner of the hangar to see a familiar girl watching him from behind one of the pillars. He recognized the girl as the one that was in the escape pod and provided Azrael with that file, which contained complete data on the Justice and Freedom. Her name was Flay if he remember correctly and it was almost amusing that she thought she could remain hidden with that blinding reddish pink hair of hers. It almost reminded him of when he used to love to wear the color orange when he was younger, but he quickly wiped those thoughts from his mind. The girl wasn't doing any harm so he decided to just ignore her and return to looking up at his Gundam.

**Elsewhere**

"So the METEOR system is finally complete is it?" said Andrew as he sipped his coffee.

"Yeah, but it does us little good since we won't exactly be able to use it while we are still hiding," sighed Athrun as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Do we know what the Earth Forces and ZAFT have been up to lately?" asked Kira curiously.

"No, all we know that is Earth has been gathering almost 75 of there remaining forces to there Lunar Base," replied Andrew as he leaned back in his chair.

"I wonder what they are planning," said Cagalli with a small frown.

"If you ask me I would say they are planning for a direct attack on the PLANTs, but even they won't be able to accomplish that unless they have some way to get past ZAFT defensive base," offered Mu causing many to think about what he said.

"Let us hope that whatever they have planned that we will be able to interfere before it creates more death and destruction," said Lacus softly. Kira just smiled slightly before putting a hand on the beautiful pink haired girl's shoulders to show he agreed with her.

**Dominion**

Natarle was up late as usual going over some data log as she sat in her chair on the bridge of the Dominion. She had been told that she would be leading an assault on ZAFT's space fortress Boaz. It had surprise her greatly when she had learned of this and not because she would be leading the assault, but because they were attacking Boaz. That base had yet to be damaged severely in any Earth Force assault and Natarle seriously doubted that they would have any better success. They just didn't have the manpower to lead a successful assault against Boaz, which is why it was called a space fortress.

"You are up late," said a familiar voice that caused Natarle to jump in surprise. She turned around to see Naruto had entered the bridge and floated over to her as she tried to calm down her nerves.

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to surprise you," said Naruto sincerely. Natarle just waved it off before she saluted the man since he did still technically outrank her.

"It is no problem sir, I was just going over some possible scenarios for when we reach Boaz in a few days," replied Natarle before clearing her monitor.

"I take it you don't know then?" said Naruto causing the woman to look at him curiously.

"I am afraid I do not know what you are talking about sir," said Natarle as she looked up into his piercing blue eyes.

"Lord Azrael has convinced the Earth Alliance Forces to authorize the use of nukes using the new N-Jammer technology ZAFT has created. He has also convinced them to allow me to use the full power of Wing Zero in order to take out the base at Boaz so they can use every nuke against the PLANTs," said Naruto. Natarle eyes widened in horror as she could tell Naruto was being dead serious. It wasn't like her to question her superiors, but was it really necessary to go this far and use nukes against civilians just to win a war?

"Wait a minute, you said you were allowed to use your Gundam's full power? What exactly do you mean by that?" asked Natarle as she tried to keep her mind off the nukes for a moment.

"The Calamity and Raider will be deployed to clear the way of all enemy mobile suits so that I can use the full power of Zero's Buster Rifle to completely destroy Boaz. In two days, Boaz will cease to exist," said Naruto as he refused to meet the woman's eyes before taking his leave of the bridge. Hopefully, when she saw him destroy Boaz she would start to hate him instead of still respecting him like she did now. Maybe then, it would be easier to ignore her presence if she wanted nothing to do with him.

**Break**

"Now remember, it will be up to you two to clear the way so that Captain Uzumaki can destroy Boaz and if there is anything left several mobile armors packed with nukes can destroy what is left," smiled Azrael. Clotho and Orga both seemed happy that they would get to destroy more ZAFT soldiers, but were both glaring at Naruto with hate from out of the corner of their eyes. He was the one who had killed Shani and though none of them really got along, he was still there teammate. Naruto didn't even bother acknowledging they existed, which caused them even more anger, but knew better then to attack the man because then they would be denied the drugs that kept them from feeling any painful side effects of there unnatural enhancements.

"Captain Uzumaki, I expect that you won't have any problems with testing out the true power of that Buster Rifle now will you?" smiled Azrael before taking a step back reflexively as Naruto cold eyes turned to look in his own. Naruto didn't say anything, but just nodded his head before taking his leave of the man. This caused Azrael to glare at Naruto because he still hated how the man showed him no respect. It didn't matter though, because once they had finally got rid of those damn Coordinators he would then deal with Captain Uzumaki or that is what he thought.

"Go get ready, we have a base to destroy," laughed Azrael before heading towards the bridge. Clotho and Orga just smirked before heading to their own mobile suits.

**Council of ZAFT/PlANTS**

"Chairman, Boaz has reported that a large number of Earth Forces have headed towards them," said a soldier.

"Those foolish Naturals and their damn arrogance to think that their superior numbers will overcome us," scowled Chairman Zala as he pulled up the screen and watched as Boaz deployed its own forces.

"It seems they are using some new type of mobile suits," said Ezalia Joule, mother of Yzak Joule, the pilot of the Duel Gundam.

"It doesn't matter, Boaz is a fortress and will not fall to those inferior Naturals," said Chairman Zala confidently.

**Battle of Boaz**

"These Coordinators are pathetic, and I was hoping for a challenge," laughed Orga as he used his cannons to take out multiple ZAFT mobile suits.

"This is too easy," smiled Clotho as he used his mace to take out two enemy mobile suits before using his beam rifle to shoot down another three.

The only one who wasn't bragging about their abilities or taking joy in killing a bunch of ZAFT forces was Naruto. He had taken out the same if not more mobile suits then both the Raider and Calamity, but knew his real job had yet to come. It was almost disgusting to think about because he would be annihilating an entire base in one shot. This is what made him realize that he truly had become nothing more then a monster and yet he couldn't seem to care. There was a small clench of his heart, but for the most part, he felt nothing. He only hoped that after he did this that ZAFT would hate him so much they would send everything they had after him and not stop until they succeeded in killing him for what he was going to do.

In the big picture, it didn't matter whether he fired the shot or not because if he didn't fire then Azrael would just launch the nukes against the base. With that final thought, Naruto grabbed his Buster Rifle with both hands and took aim at the space fortress.

The ZAFT, Earth Forces, and The Three ships that had created an alliance all watched with mixed reactions as Wing Zero fired at Boaz. The beam from is Buster Rifle passed right through the center of the large space fortress before it started to explode from the inside out. Naruto just watched emotionlessly as Boaz as exploded in a shower of debris and didn't even realize that the armor on Wing Zero had started to take on a reddish tint.

Boaz had been completely destroyed and hundreds of soldiers of ZAFT had lost their life all because of one machine. Naruto wish was granted, because once news got out that he had destroyed Boaz in a single shot, he had become the most hated man in all of the PLANTs and ZAFT. They would not be satisfied until he and Wing Zero were destroyed then burned in hell for what they did.

**Three Ship Alliance (Kusanagi, Eternal, & Archangel)**

"It can't be possible, there is no way one mobile suit can be that powerful," said Cagalli in disbelief, as she still couldn't believe at what happened to Boaz.

"That isn't the only thing we have to worry about, because we just intercepted a message from ZAFT saying that they also detected nuclear energy aboard all of the carriers. This means even if Naruto hadn't destroyed Boaz that they would have just launched nukes instead," said Andrew with a grim expression on his face.

"We need to head to the PLANTS because no doubt that is where they will head to next now that Boaz is gone," frowned Lacus with a worried look in her eyes because she had hoped something like this wouldn't happen.

"Athrun and I will deal with the nukes before we go after that mobile suit," said Kira with a hard look in his eyes.

"Kira," said Lacus with a worried look in her eyes because she didn't want to see Kira go up against such an enemy for fear of him losing his life.

"Don't worry Lacus, this time we will definitely end this war," smiled Kira as he looked at the beautiful girl with a reassuring look in his eyes.

**Break**

'Does this change mean that I truly am becoming nothing but a monster? Are you starting to give up on me already Wing Zero?' thought Naruto as he stared at Wing Zero and noticed some of the armor had turned crimson red. He could still remember the last vision he had received, which were the cries of hundreds of people just before they were silenced forever. The vision was the sounds of Boaz just before it exploded and deep down it was tearing him apart even if he kept a neutral expression on his face.

It had taken two thousands years, but finally he was becoming what the villagers had called him since he was a little kid. A demon that merely existed to take the lives of all those in its path and leave no survivors. Naruto had truly become a fallen angel and he was losing what little remained of his wings if the slow transformation of his Gundam was any sign.

"Captain Uzumaki," said a familiar voice causing Naruto to turn around and stare into the beautiful violet eyes of Lieutenant Badgiruel.

"Lieutenant is there something I can do for you?" asked Naruto as he turned to face the woman who now looked at him differently since he destroyed Boaz.

"I have come to tell you that we will be arriving at the PLANTs soon, sir," answered Natarle as she forced herself to look into his eyes. She still couldn't believe that his Gundam contained such power and that he willingly used it to destroy an entire space fortress in one attack. It made her start to question if she was truly doing the right thing by following orders without questioning the morality of them.

"Hn, I take it Lord Azrael wishes to finally finish this war by launching nukes at the PLANTs," said Naruto knowingly.

"Yes sir, but he has also said that you will be leading the strike, sir," replied Natarle as she glanced at the ground.

"No," said Naruto causing Natarle to look up at him in surprise. What did he mean by no?

"Sir?" asked Natarle confused.

"Tell Lord Azrael that destroying a military base is one thing, but I will not use Wing Zero's power on defenseless civilians whether they are Coordinators or not. I have not fallen that far," said Naruto as he mumbled the last part before turning to look at Wing Zero.

Natarle eyes widened in disbelief because she couldn't believe that he would be disregarding a direct order not just from Lord Azrael, but his actual superiors since the President had sanctioned this mission. Maybe he wasn't as cruel as she thought him to be and her faith in the military started to falter even more so now.

"If he or any others have a problem with this then send them directly to me and I will deal with them," said Naruto before brushing past Natarle and making his way out of the hangar.

Natarle just watched him go with a confused look in her eyes and many conflicting thoughts in her head. Everything was starting to change and for once, she was confused if she was doing the right thing.

**PLANTs**

"Chairman Zala, we have detected multiple Earth Forces approaching the PLANTs," said a soldier as he saluted the man.

"It would appear the Earth Forces plans to use there nuclear weapons and that new mobile suit to end this war permanently," said Rau as he kept a neutral look on his face, but inside he was grinning insanely. His plan for all humanity to be annihilated was about to come about and all that was left was for Chairman Zala to activate the GENISIS.

"Those arrogant fools, it is time to activate the GENISIS and show them exactly how inferior to us they are," growled Chairman Zala causing a smile to slowly form on Rau's face.

"I will deploy all our forces to protect the PLANTs while you prepare the GENISIS," said Ezalia Joule before taking her leave of the Chairman.

"I shall get going as well," bowed Rau.

"Soon, all those inferior Naturals will be gone never to bother us again," said Chairman Zala as he headed to his personal ship where it would take him to GENISIS.

**Dominion**

"Now listen you two, once the nukes are launched and those Coordinators are taken care of I want you both to destroy that annoying Uzumaki," demanded Azrael as he spoke with Clotho and Orga. The leader of Blue Cosmos was pissed because Naruto had refused to obey his orders and use Wing Zero's power to wipe out the PLANTs. He was going to teach that arrogant Captain that no one denied him what he wanted.

Orga and Clotho started to smirk because they had been itching for a good fight and had been wanting to kill that man for quite some time. There arrogance in their own abilities wouldn't allow them to accept anyone could be better at piloting a mobile suit then them, which is why they were happy to get the chance to kill Naruto. It would be the perfect chance to prove they were better then that stoic man who never bother to acknowledge their existence.

"Can we use any means necessary to kill him?" asked Orga with a glint in his eyes.

"Yes, but make sure you do after the nukes are launched that way no one will notice a single mobile being destroyed because there attention will be focused on the destruction of the PLANTs," smiled Azrael.

"Sounds good to me," smirked Clotho, as he couldn't wait to have some revenge against the man who had humiliated him and killed Shani.

The three men were so wrapped up in what they were discussing that they didn't notice that there whole conversation had been overheard. The person quickly headed to the hangar where they knew Captain Uzumaki was at to warn him of the danger he was in.

It didn't take the person long to find Naruto as he was staring up at his Gundam like he usually was doing during the day. No one really understood why he spent most of his time staring at his mobile suit, and they probably never would because no one was brave enough to dare interrupt the man.

"Captain Uzumaki," said a female voice causing the said man to turn his head to look at the girl.

"Yes, Ms. Allster?" replied Naruto as he stared at the girl through emotionless blue eyes that made the girl shift her feet nervously.

"It's Flay, and I heard something that I think you should know," said Flay as she tried to remain calm, but Naruto's eyes made her nervous because it was like he was staring directly into her soul.

"What is it?" asked Naruto though he really didn't care since he doubted it was that important.

"I heard that man, the leader of Blue Cosmos speaking with two pilots and he was telling them to kill you once they launched the nukes at the PLANTs," said Flay, but was surprised when Naruto didn't even look in the least bit bothered by this knowledge.

"I see was there anything else?" replied Naruto as he turned to look back up at his Gundam.

"Aren't you worried?" argued Flay as she looked at the man in disbelief.

"No, but it might be wise to keep this knowledge to yourself since you could be targeted if someone found out you knew what you know," warned Naruto before taking his leave of the girl to prepare for the final battle.

**Second Battle of Jachin Due**

"Ha-ha, die you weak bastards," yelled Clotho as he took out several GINN with a large grin on his face.

"Remember the plan idiot," smirked Orga as he used his plasma cannons to take out multiple ZAFT mobile suits.

"Yeah, yeah I know," replied Clotho as he glanced at their target out of their corner of his eyes.

Not to far away from them, Wing Zero was being attacked by a huge amount of ZAFT mobile suits, but was easily destroying them all. It seemed they all wanted the chance to take out the man responsible for destroying Boaz, but if only they knew how futile there attempts were.

'The Duel,' thought Naruto before using his shield to block several missiles from the stolen Gundam.

"You bastard, you will pay for what you did to Boaz," yelled Yzak as he engaged Wing Zero as his eyes burned with hate.

'Hn,' thought Naruto unimpressed at the Duel's abilities as he easily evaded the shots fired at him from the Duel. Yzak was growling in anger because he couldn't believe how fast the mobile suit that he was fighting was and every time it looked like he had it, it would get out of the way just in time.

"Damn it," cursed Yzak as he barely dodged out of the way in time before he was cut in half from a beam saber strike, but couldn't evade the kick to the chest that sent him sailing backwards.

Wing Zero took the moment it had to draw its buster rifle and took aim at the two ZAFT warships in the distance. Yzak saw what was happening and was about to yell out a warning, but it was too late as he watched Wing Zero fire its buster rifle. The two ZAFT ships were completely obliterated.

"Bastard, you'll pay for that," growled Yzak, but before he could head toward Wing Zero his eyes widened in horror as he saw multiple nukes being launched at the PLANTS.

"No, everyone follow me and target those missiles. We can't even let one hit the PLANTs," yelled Yzak in a panic as he directed the ZAFT forces over to the nukes that had been launched at the PLANTs. He and many others tried there best to take them out, but there was just too many.

"Now Orga," yelled Clotho as he turned around to go after the Zero Gundam, but both pilots blinked in confusion when they couldn't find it.

"Where the hell did it go?" growled Orga. His question was answered a second later, a loud beeping sound went off, and both pilots turned around to see Wing Zero about twenty feet behind them with its Buster Rifle pointed right at them. Their eyes widened in horror as Zero fired at them.

"Ahhh!" screamed Orga while Clotho was completely obliterated in the blast to the point there was nothing left of his Gundam. The Calamity managed to escape death, but its right arm was gone and its thrusters had been damaged.

"Surrender or you will suffer the same fate as your friend," said Naruto as he opened a link with the Calamity after putting away his buster rifle.

"You bastard, I will kill you," yelled Orga as his eyes burned in rage before he started to fire upon the Zero recklessly.

Naruto just shook his head at the insane pilot as he easily weaved in and out of his shots as he slowly closed the distance between the two of them. The Calamity was just too heavily loaded with artillery that it couldn't keep up with Zero superior speed and maneuverability. In a matter of moments, Naruto was right in front of the Calamity and Orga didn't even get the chance to scream as a beam saber cut his Gundam in half.

To an outside viewer, it looked as if Wing Zero hadn't even move its arm as it passed right by the Calamity in a blur. Wing Zero had its back turned to the Calamity as the Gundam slowly fell in half before exploding in a large explosion. Naruto didn't even bother to look back at the Calamity and went to see how the nuclear strike went.

He noticed that all the PLANTs were still there, which confused him because there is no way ZAFT could have stopped all those nukes on their own. It was something he didn't get to think too long on when a beeping sound went off and he barely dodged out of the way in time to avoid being cut in half by the largest beam sword he had ever seen.

'The Justice,' thought Naruto as he turned to face his new opponent and noticed that it had some strange pack on its back. His eyes widened in realization as it must have been with these new packs that the Freedom and Justice were capable of destroying all the nukes. Perhaps, now they had the power to beat him and give him the eternal darkness he sought so much.

Athrun quickly used the METEOR to lock in on Naruto before firing a huge amount of missiles at him. Naruto quickly activated his ZERO system and turned his thrusters on at full blasts as he attempted to avoid all the missiles. There were just too many though and he took several direct hits, but nothing that would slow him down for long. Wing Zero's armor was tougher then any other Gundam, which meant it could take considerably more damage without its capabilities suffering from it.

"His Gundam's armor is incredible if it could withstand several direct hits like that," cursed Athrun as he activated the beam sabers on the METEOR and tried to take out the Zero with them.

"Your power is truly impressive with that pack on, but what good is all that power if you can't hit anything with it," said Naruto with disappointment clearly in his eyes.

The METEOR was designed for taking out multiple enemies and increasing the speed at which the Justice or Freedom could travel long distance, but in close combat, it was merely a burden as Athrun was learning. The best he was able to do was keep Naruto at a distance with his beam sabers, but he was nowhere close to landing a blow on him. It wouldn't be long before the Zero Gundam got within his guard and Athrun knew it.

Naruto and Athrun were about to clash again, when a loud beeping sound filled their cockpits and Yzak came yelling at the Justice over the international frequency.

"Freedom, Justice get out of there now. They are going to fire the GENISIS," yelled Yzak as he ordered all ZAFT forces to pull back.

Less then a few seconds later, a large blast came from about mile or so away from then and was heading straight for them and the Earth Forces behind the Zero. Athrun's eyes widened in horror as he realized he wouldn't be able to maneuver out of the way in time and would be annihilated in the blast. He gasped in shock and disbelief when he felt something quickly destroy the METEOR pack before grabbing him and carrying him safely out of the blast seconds before it consumed him.

"Why?" gasped Athrun as he looked upon Wing Zero, which was responsible for saving his life. He watched as Wing Zero released him then calmly floated in front of him. The two Gundams stood staring at each other before Wing Zero flew off in the distance to check on its forces.

"Athrun, we need to destroy that weapon before it can be fired again," said Kira as he appeared on his friend's monitor. Athrun snapped out of his stupor and looked down at his friend.

"I'll do it, you just continue to fight out here while I take care of that thing," replied Athrun as his eyes narrowed. He knew it was his father that had fired that monstrous weapon and he was going to be the one to stop it.

"Right," agreed Kira before closing the link. Athrun glanced one more time in the direction of which the Zero Gundam took off before heading off towards GENISIS.

Naruto was heading back to the Dominion because it was clear that the Earth Forces were going to lose this battle and war if they didn't retreat. He still didn't know why he had saved the Justice from being destroyed. Something about the way the Justice and Freedom fought seemed so familiar that he couldn't just let them be destroyed so carelessly. They like him, deserved to die in a battle like a true warrior, and not by some random blast.

His thoughts were interrupted though when the ZERO system alerted him to several approaching enemies, which caused Naruto to quickly raise his shield to block a blast coming from a familiar looking DRAGOON system. Seconds later, several DRAGOONs surrounded him and started to fire upon him with deadly accuracy, but he was able to predict there patterns and destroyed two of them before they flew towards a Gundam he had never seen.

"Impressive, it seems you are truly as good as they say, but I can't allow your existence to remain anymore," smirked Rau as the DRAGOONs attached to the pack on the back of his Providence Gundam.

"I have heard of you as well Commander Rau Le Cresset," said Naruto calmly as he floated in front of the Gundam.

"Ha-ha, then you knows that I will not fail in killing you and that damn boy in order to ensure my plans for humanity succeed," laughed Rau as he fired his beam rifle along with the five DRAGOONs on his back at Naruto.

Wing Zero turned its thrusters on to full blast and dodged to the side to avoid being hit before returning fire with its own buster rifle. The Providence Gundam quickly evaded the blasts and released its DRAGOONs that started to attack Naruto to keep him on the defensive.

"Hn," thought Naruto as he weaved in and out of the DRAGOONs that were giving him no time to return fire. If weren't for the fact that he had the ZERO system activated and his own superb spatial awareness skills, he probably would have lost and arm or leg by now because of the onslaught. This Providence Gundam was in a league of its own especially with a pilot like Rau in command of it.

"Give it up, there is no way you can match my Gundam's power," laughed Rau as he took aim upon Naruto with his beam rifle.

"We shall see," replied Naruto as his eyes narrowed as he came up with a plan to destroy the DRAGOONs, but right before he could implement it he received a vision from Wing Zero that made his eyes widen in horror.

'No, not again,' pleaded Naruto as he slammed his hands into the counsel while his Gundam shook from being hit by several beams. He had just been sent a vision of Lieutenant Badgiruel being killed by Lord Azrael because she refused to fire upon the Archangel. She died with a smile on her face just like Hinata because she finally chose to make her own decisions and not do as others tell her.

"Goodbye," grinned Rau as he had all his DRAGOONs return to him as he prepared to destroy Wing Zero in one final blast. Just as he was about to fire upon the immobile Gundam, a bright light exploded from the Gundam, and temporarily blinded him. When he was finally able to see again he noticed that Wing Zero was nowhere in sight. He cursed, but decided to go after the Freedom and then after he had dealt with that boy he would find Wing Zero and make sure it couldn't escape him a second time.


	2. Chapter 2

"Is there anything I can get you sir

"Is there anything I can get you sir?" asked Missy as she approached a man at the counter with spikey blond hair and beautiful sky blue eyes. The man was absolutely gorgeous in her opinion and she would have wasted some of her time flirting with him if it weren't for the fact that he scared the hell out of her.

No one really knew anything about the man except that he had shown up about two months ago and since then stayed at a local motel. He came in every morning for a mug of coffee and would drink it slowly while staring up at the ceiling with a blank look in his eyes. It was rather creepy, which caused most people to avoid him like a plague, but Missy needed the money to pay for her bills so was forced to see if he wanted anything.

"I'll have some coffee," answered the man as he didn't even bother to look at her.

"Sure thing," smiled Missy hesitantly before quickly leaving.

The man sat there with a blank look in his eyes and waited patiently for his coffee. His eyes betrayed none of his thoughts and when his coffee was served, he thanked the woman before calmly taking a sip from it. As he was drinking, his ears picked up the sounds of the door opening and closing. A few seconds later, he heard footsteps approaching his table and wasn't long before sat down across from him. He glanced up from his drink and found himself staring into the amused eyes of a handsome man with long flowing black hair wearing some expensive clothes.

"I must say, you are a hard man to find, but I should have expected you would be in some desolate place like Canada," chuckled the man before signaling the waitress that he would like some coffee.

"Why are you here?" asked the blond-haired man as he put his coffee down gently.

"I take you know who I am then since you haven't assumed I am here to kill you," smiled the man.

"You are the current Chairman of the PLANTs and ZAFT, Gilbert Durandal," replied the blond-haired, not in the least bit impressed.

They both stopped talking when the waitress came by the table and poured Durandal some coffee. Once she left, Durandal calmly took a sip of his coffee and smiled in delight before placing it down in front of him.

"Yes I am, and you are Captain Naruto Uzumaki, pilot of the Gundam known as Wing Zero, and many other titles," said Durandal with a small smirk. Naruto just stared at the man with a blank look in his eyes because he still hadn't answered his previous question. Durandal could see why people were so intimidated by the man as it was like he was peering into your soul with those eyes and it was very unnerving.

"Anyway, I heard about how the Earth Forces has been trying to get _rid_ of you for not turning over your Gundam once the war was over and I was hoping I could help you with that problem," said Durandal as he took another sip of his coffee.

"Offering me sanctuary in the PLANTs when I am hated by the entirety of Coordinators for what I did at Boaz. I don't see how that helps me," replied Naruto.

"Actually, I was hoping you would consider joining ZAFT and then you wouldn't have to worry about such things," corrected Durandal.

"You want the power of Wing Zero on your side when the next war comes around," said Naruto knowingly.

"I am glad to see I am not the only one who sees that another war is inevitable and you are correct in a way. Whether Wing Zero fights for ZAFT or not doesn't concern me because you are the only one who can pilot it from my intelligence," started Durandal, but paused when Naruto finished.

"So by me joining ZAFT you have guaranteed that Wing Zero won't be used against you as no one else could pilot it but me and since I would be on your side it couldn't be used against the PLANTs," finished Naruto as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Exactly, and I am willing to meet almost any demand to get you to join ZAFT to ensure the PLANTs safety from Wing Zero," said Durandal firmly.

Naruto stared at the man with a blank look on his face as he thought about what he was being offered. He already knew the man was hiding things from him, but that was nothing new so it didn't bother him too much because he could always find out what he was hiding if he wanted to. The Earth Forces had betrayed him and though he didn't like to think about it, he wanted to avenge the death of Natarle Badgiruel. It wasn't that he wanted to join ZAFT, but merely show the Earth Forces what all traitors deserve.

"I will give you my answer in a week," said Naruto as he left some money on the table then calmly left.

'Perfect,' thought Durandal with a satisfied smile.

**Somewhere in Northern Canada**

Naruto calmly walked on top of the snow as if it were solid ground as he made his way to some unknown destination. It was as cold as can be this evening as the snow fell down from the sky lightly, but Naruto didn't seem to be bothered by it as he wore some casual clothes with no jacket or anything else. He just continued to walk as if it were a warm summer day and showed no signs of slowing down.

It wasn't about until ten minutes later, he stopped walking and raised his head to look up at the large machine in front of him. The mobile suit was half buried in snow as it rested against a large hill, but if looked closely could easily see its blood red, crimson armor standing out from within the snow. Naruto just stood there standing in front of the demonic looking mobile suit.

'Two months since the war ended and you were born. Now I am being recruited by the Chairman of the PLANTs to join ZAFT,' thought Naruto as he stared up at the Gundam.

"Tell me Epyon, has my desire to fight increased because of you, or are you merely a representation of what my own selfish choices have turned me into?' thought Naruto. The Gundam just stared back at him through the same lifeless look that he always held on his face.

"Perhaps, this change was inevitable. I guess it doesn't really matter, as another war will be coming soon and together we will fight. Let us hope this time that there is someone out there to give us a challenge," said Naruto as he walked towards the Gundam.

His destiny was to live forever and fight in numerous wars one day seeking an opponent that would be able to beat him. He only hoped that this next war provided him with the challenge he sought so much.

**Author's Note:** **Sorry, about the short chapter, but it was necessary. For all you Gundam Wing fans I am sure you can recognize what we based the chapter off of. My girl sexybitch, is a huge Zechs Marquis fan and wanted to give Naruto some of his characteristics as it is obvious to see. The chapters will get longer, but probably not as long as the first one until later into the GSD story.**

**On a side note, we were thinking of doing a pairing, but couldn't really decide what to do. At first we wanted to do a Naruto/Stella pairing because her innocence and being raised as a weapon is something Naruto could relate to, but we both hate Djibril and would be too tempted to have Naruto kill him off then work with him. The only other prospect we can see pairing Naruto up with is probably Meer or some OC, but we are willing to take ideas. Just let us know if want a pairing or not and a reason for it, not just because they 'look cute together.' Peace out.**

**P.S. If don't know what **_**Gundam Epyon**_ **looks like then Google it because it is one sweet looking Gundam .**


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto looked out over at the city of Armory One and couldn't deny that it truly was a beautiful sight

Naruto looked out over at the city of Armory One and couldn't deny that it truly was a beautiful sight. Even though he was in space, he had always enjoyed the natural beauty and smells of nature. It was good to see that even though countless wars had ruined Earth beyond compression that there were still some people out there willing to recreate the once beautiful atmosphere of Earth. Too bad they weren't doing it down on Earth and merely doing it to make their colonies look beautiful.

He didn't get to appreciate the sight any further when the elevator stopped and he turned away from the beautiful sight. Calmly, he made his way past the secretary and entered the temporary office of Chairman Durandal while he stayed at Armory One. The Chairman looked up and smiled when he realized who it was that entered his office.

"Commander Uzumaki, it is good to see you. I hope the past week here as been to your satisfaction," smiled Chairman Durandal.

Naruto was dressed in red and black ZAFR uniform that was customized designed just for him. On the right collar was a small pin, that let all ZAFT personal know that he was a member of FAITH.

"Chairman, you wished to speak with me," said Naruto as he stood in front of the man.

"Yes, I was hoping you could give me your honest opinion on what you think of the new mobile suits being put into production," said Durandal as gestured for Naruto to have a seat.

"The Gundams or the new ZAKU units?" asked Naruto as he took a seat in one of the comfortable chairs. Durandal smirked at that because if there was one thing about Naruto that he respect it was his insight. The Chairman had no doubt that Naruto could easily find out anything he wanted to, but instead merely did his duty and nothing more.

"I was hoping you could give me your opinion on the new Gundams put in production," answered Durandal as he leaned back in his chair.

"They are all powerful mobile suits, but because of how they are built they each have a weakness that I am sure you know all about," replied Naruto.

"Yes, I am aware that the Gaia, Abyss, and Chaos each have a very exploitable weakness, but I do wonder what you think of the Impulse. I have great hopes for that mobile suit," smiled Durandal with a gleam in his eyes.

"The Impulse is no different then the Strike except it uses a different power source. I believe both mobile suits are a liability in battle," said Naruto to the surprise of Durandal.

"Why do you say that?" asked Durandal curiously.

"It is a Gundam designed to reach optimum efficiency by being able to change its parts during battle to fit any situation. That is the main problem with it. Those few seconds that it takes to change gear, leaves it wide open for an attack that any smart opponent would take advantage of. It would need to work in tangent with some other mobile suits that have some competent pilots to cover it while it changes gear," explained Naruto.

"Hmm, I never thought of it like that and I do see your point," confessed Durandal thoughtfully while Naruto looked at him blankly.

"Gundam Epyon has a weakness in that it has no long-range capabilities though its incredible speeds and maneuverability do make up for it," said Naruto as he finished evaluation of the Gundams.

"Yes, I have received several requests from certain factions wishing to study your mobile suit. Not that I can blame them since your Gundam is obviously different from any other Gundam I have seen," said Durandal with a small smile.

"If you wish to see its capabilities then prepare a real life battle simulation in space and I will show what it is capable of. If it is just my own abilities you worry about then, assign me a ZAKU and I will use that instead for the simulation," said Naruto.

"I take it you know about the meeting I had about two days ago with several of the members of the board," chuckled Durandal.

"If they really want me dead that badly then give them the opportunity. If they should succeed or fail they won't be able to bother you anymore because you gave them the chance," said Naruto.

"You could always change your appearance and take on a different name like I first suggested," smiled Durandal.

"I don't hide from anyone," replied Naruto as his eyes narrowed slightly and Durandal backed off a bit.

"I understand, I just wish we didn't lose so many fine soldiers," sighed Durandal as he remembered the many assassins Naruto would bring in, but they would always use a poison on themselves before they could be interrogated.

"I will look for a proper mobile suit while you schedule the battle simulation," said Naruto as he got up and left the office. Durandal watched him go with a contemplative look on his face.

**Break**

It was the middle of the night, and all the lights in the colony were out. At first look, it would seem all was quiet, but to the trained eye, one could vaguely make out a group of men breaking into one of the hangars.

"Sir, we are in," whispered one of special forces men.

"Good, let's hurry up and destroy this mobile suit then we will go after that damn Natural pilot," replied the leader with a large grin on his face. The others just nodded with a determined look in their eyes as they all snuck into the hangar undetected.

It didn't take them long before they were all standing in front of a demonic looking Gundam. They stared up at it in anger because they knew who piloted it and still couldn't believe the man had been allowed to come anyone near the PLANTs let alone join ZAFT.

"Get the explosives and set them to go off in five minutes," said the leader. All he received was silence, which caused him to front as he turned around and his eyes widened in horror. He started to back up in fear as he stared into the emotionless sky blue eyes of Commander Uzumaki and all around him lay the unconscious bodies of the special ops members.

"Surrender," said Naruto as his eyes bored into the man.

"Damn you, you are nothing, but a monster," yelled the leader as he grabbed his machine gun. Just as he pulled the trigger, a large mechanical fist came between him and Naruto much to his shock.

"You should have surrendered," said a voice from behind him before he felt a chop to his neck.

"Thank you Epyon," nodded Naruto as the Gundam's arm returned to its side. He then started to gather up the unconscious special ops soldiers. This had to be the tenth or so attack on him or his Gundam since he had arrived at Armory One. It was kind of sad how the Coordinators believed that their enhanced genes would give them an advantage against him. Reminded him of the many clans he had faced in his past who thought they were better due to their own special gifts. Some people would never learn that true strength and power was earned not given to you at birth.

**ZAFT Council**

"Chairman Durandal, letting this man join the ranks of ZAFT is absolutely ridiculous. I don't know what you were thinking of when you decided to make this decision, but it was highly foolish of you," said one of the Generals as his eyes burned in anger.

"I have to agree with him, he is responsible for the destruction of Boaz, and countless soldiers who fought for ZAFT. Don't you think once people start to realize who he is that others will start to question your sanity?" said a woman as she peered over at Durandal.

"I know it may have seem I made a completely irrational and hasty decision, but I believe with him on our side we are much safer then if he were to rejoin the Earth Forces. You saw what the destructive power he wielded when he was our enemy so it makes much more sense to have him as an ally," said Durandal calmly. The other council members may not like to admit, but what he said was the absolute truth. The man was a major threat to them during the Blood Valentine War and they really couldn't afford to have him as enemy again.

"If it will make you happy, he has agreed to participate in a real-life battle simulation. He is willing to go up some of our best pilots and won't even use his Gundam if it will appease you all. I am sure he will even go so far as to allow the pilots to go for killing blows against him while he will limit himself to only immobilizing his opponents," smiled Durandal as he knew they would jump at this opportunity. He really had to thank Naruto for the idea because it would get them off his back permanently.

"How do we know we can trust him to keep up his end?" asked the General from earlier.

"Simple, his mobile suit will have a self-detonation switch attached to it and should he break any of the rules or turn on us then you can activate the self-destruct mechanism," replied Durandal simply.

"Fine, but I want our best pilots," said the General with a smirk. He planned to pick there best pilots along with the newest models to make sure that this Naruto Uzumaki didn't survive this simulation.

"Good, I will have it scheduled a week from now and I will allow our current ZAFT trainees watch the fight so they can learn something about live combat," smiled Durandal as he got and left the room.

'I do hope you put on a good show Naruto, I look forward to what you can do,' thought Durandal with a smirk as he headed towards his office.

**Armory One: Gundam Epyon Hangar**

Naruto was sitting in the cockpit of Epyon with the ZERO system activated as he looked over the many possible mobile suits there were. Unlike with the Earth Forces, ZAFT were first to design mobile suits so they had a much larger selection to choose from. Using the ZERO systems, he was able to receive detailed information on each mobile suit in a matter of seconds and had narrowed his choices down to two mobile suits.

The first one was a ZAKU Gunner (ZAKU that Lunamaria pilots), which excelled in long-range combat and had close-combat capabilities. He usually didn't like using guns and weapons such as those, but he had to be realistic. There was no doubt in his mind that he would be facing some of the best pilots they had and he would need a mobile suit that could fight against multiple opponents. This mobile suit had impressive long-range capabilities and he could definitely use it to his advantage. The only problem was that it was a fairly new mobile suit and not many were put in production yet.

The other mobile suit was the ZGMF-601R GuAIZ R that was currently in mass production, but was about to be replaced by the ZAKU units. It had two rail cannons, one on each hip along with a beam saber mounted on the left arm. Came with 2 x MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head and a MA-MV05 composite shield. The mobile suit was also came with a powerful beam rifle as an optional weapon.

'There is no denying ZAFT's genius when it comes to designing weapons of mass destruction,' thought Naruto as he went over each mobile suit. After going over there capabilities a few more times, he deactivated the ZERO system and prepared to go look at these mobile suits personally. There could only be so much learned from study design lay outs, which is why Naruto wished to see these mobiles up close.

As he walked through Armory One he noticed many of the soldiers look at him with respect and awe. They obviously took notice of his uniform and the FAITH pin, which is why they were giving him such looks. If only they knew who he was then no doubt they would be trying to kill him instead of looking at him as they did now.

It wasn't like he was hiding his identity and he even introduced himself to people with his real name. The only problem was that even with him giving his real name people didn't know who he was because no one except for those at the top or the elites knew that he was the pilot of Wing Zero. His identity in the Earth Alliance had always been kept a secret from ZAFT so they couldn't target him for assassination. Chairman Durandal hoped to keep it this way, but Naruto knew eventually it would get out and the attacks would increase. Who knows, perhaps one of his attackers would succeed and manage to kill him. Not likely, but it was something that Naruto could hope for.

"Hey Shinn look, it's one of the new ZAKU units that are starting to come out," said a beautiful teenage girl with short purple hair as Naruto entered one of the hangars.

"Calm down Luna, we are still trainee so don't get your hopes up," said a boy with messy black hair and sapphire red eyes.

"Both of you need to stop talking before we get in trouble with any military personnel," said a boy with long platinum blond hair that fell down past his shoulders.

"You and Rey are such kill joys. I can't wait until we graduate and are able to get a mobile suit of our own," said Luna with stars in her eyes.

"What exactly do you know about this mobile suit unit?" asked a voice from behind the three. Shinn and Rey turned around and their eyes widened in awe as they recognized the uniform.

"It is known as the ZAKU Gunner, it specializes in long-range support by using its 'Orthro' long-range beam cannon to take out enemies and even bases with enough firepower. I believe they also come with a M4-M8 beam tomahawk for close-range combat as well," answered Luna excitedly.

"Luna," whispered Shinn, causing the girl to turn around and look at the boy. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized who had asked her the question.

"Forgive her sir, she didn't realize who you are," said Rey as he saluted the man along with Shinn and Luna. Naruto just shook his head at them causing them all to relax before he started to speak again.

"I am impressed with your knowledge since the unit hasn't even reached mass production yet," said Naruto with a small respectful nod. He usually kept to himself, but the girl's knowledge on the ZAKU was helpful and impressive for someone who had yet to become an official soldier. The girl would go far if she is as good a pilot as she is knowledgeable on those mobile suits.

"Thank you sir," blushed Luna lightly at the praise.

Rey took the moment to study the man in front of him and noticed the pin on the left collar of his uniform. The man was a member of FAITH, which meant he took direct orders from the Chairman, but he couldn't remember ever seeing the man with the Chairman and he spent a great deal of time with the Chairman when he was smaller. This peeked his curiosity because now he wanted to know exactly who this man was.

"Um sir, I don't mean to be rude, but are you here to test pilot the Gunner ZAKU?" asked Luna.

"Something like that," replied Naruto before brushing past the three and heading towards the ZAKU.

"Did he just brush me off?" said Luna with a cute pout as she was hoping to talk more with the gorgeous Commander.

"How would I know?" shrugged Shinn as he and Rey headed away from the hangar. Luna just watched the Commander leave before chasing after her friends.

"Sir," saluted a bunch of mechanics as Naruto came by their station.

"Is this mobile suit battle ready?" asked Naruto as he stared up at the Gunner ZAKU.

"Um, yes sir," answered the mechanic as he gave Naruto a curious look.

"Good, set up a battle simulation exercise and feed it to the cockpit. I want to test out exactly what this mobile suit can do," said Naruto as he brushed past the mechanics.

"Yes sir," said the mechanic as he started to order the others do as the Commander told them.

**Break**

"So, got any clue why we have been called here?" asked Dearka as he walked next to his old teammate. He was wearing a green ZAFT uniform instead of red one since he had been demoted for insubordination.

"As if I have any idea why they have called us in," scowled Yzak as he straightened out his new white uniform that signified his rank as a Commander.

"Well I heard it had something to do with some type of training exercise," said Dearka, causing Yzak to look at him in disbelief.

"Yeah right, like they would waste our, better yet, my time with something as stupid as some training exercises," replied Yzak. He didn't realize how wrong he was as he walked into the Chairman's office.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**** I have decided that explained each and every characteristic of a mobile suit is just too troublesome except if the situation calls for it and I got time to kill lol. Due to this revelation, I will supply you all with the site I use for all my information regarding designs and abilities of Gundams. **

**http: / / www. mahq . net /mecha/gundam/index. htm **

**Just type it in without the spaces in certain spots. When you get to this site, just click on the particular Gundam show and it will take you to another screen that gives you a whole list of mobile suits, weapons, etc that appeared in that Gundam series. They even supply pictures of each and **_**every**_** Gundam/mobile suit along with weapons and cockpit designs. Great site for that type of stuff and recommend it to any Gundam fans who just plan love looking at all the different types of mobile suits. And no, I am not sponsoring this site for money though I would if I could, but then again I probably do that for any site. Maybe O.O  
**

* * *

'You wish to fight, but now is not the time,' thought Naruto as he stared up at Epyon.

All mobile suits were designed for warfare and used to destroy their enemies. A Gundam was a mobile suit that could perform incredible feats in the hands of a proper pilot. In truth, a Gundam was not just a mere weapon, but something far more powerful then any type of nuke or GENISIS. Nukes and other weapons of mass destruction like it, could only be used once or had to take a considerable amount of time to recharge and build. Not a Gundam, a Gundam could recharge quickly and could cause just as much damage if not more so then those weapons. Placed in the hands of an ace pilot, the destruction that could be accomplished with a Gundam is off the scales.

Naruto had fought in countless battles and wars, but never had he encountered anything that could match a Gundam in raw power. Ironic, he used to think that the most powerful thing in the world were a bunch of demons with tails of power. No, the demons knew all along who was more powerful, which is why they attacked humans to begin with. Man was definitely the single greatest threat to the world and unlike with animals, their hunger was never satiated. Their stubbornness knew no bounds and they were willing to sacrificing everything to accomplish some goal. It made him wonder how the world had survived for so long as it was a miracle to him.

Of course, in truth, a Gundam, or any other mobile suit were just swords used by men to defeat their opponents. Whoever was better at wielding their respective sword would no doubt be the one to emerge victorious over his enemies. Then again, Naruto had come across many ancient and modern weapons that had minds of their own, which allowed them to affect their user if they didn't have a strong enough will. This was the main reason he spent countless hours with Gundam Epyon and in the past, Wing Zero.

Naruto didn't know how it happened, but Epyon and Wing Zero seemed to have some type of conscious. He didn't know if it was a side-effect from his timeless mind and power merging with the ZERO system or something else, but it was there. The only difference between the two Gundams was the way they interacted with him.

When he used to pilot the Wing Zero he would always receive visions of his past, mostly dedicated to those he loved and gave his life numerous times to protect over the course of one thousand years before he started to let go of his emotions. It was trying to tell him something through those visions, but he never understood what. He doubted he would ever understand it since he had spent the past nine centuries locking away his emotions once he had finally given hope on humanity. Still, a part of him desperately wanted to understand the message Wing Zero was trying to send him and wished for one more chance to speak with the Gundam.

The chances of that happening were extremely low as he now had Epyon and Wing Zero was long gone. He had never used Epyon in battle since the last war had ended before he got the opportunity, but that didn't mean he didn't know its purpose. Unlike with Wing Zero, Naruto could already feel what the purpose of Epyon was and its desire. Epyon wanted to fight, plain and simple. The Gundam wanted to enter as many battles as possible where it could fight and die like a true warrior. It didn't care about the past or future, and only wanted to live and die as a warrior. In a way, it fully represented what Naruto believed he lived for.

'If you truly represent my heart's desire then why do the visions of Wing Zero still plague me?' thought Naruto as he stared up at Epyon. He may have lived for two thousand years and be able to find out any piece of information he wanted that was on paper, but when it came to his own internal conflicts the answers would not be obtained so easily much to his disappointment.

**Break**

"I can't believe this, why would the Chairman let that Natural join ZAFT?" growled Yzak as he punched the wall in anger.

"I don't know, but do we really have the right to judge after all we did in the war?" replied Dearka as he leaned against the far with his arms behind his head.

Yzak looked down at the ground and clenched his fist as he knew his friend was right, but didn't want to admit. How could he be mad at that Natural? He may have been an enemy, but he never attacked any civilian citizens of the PLANTs, which couldn't be said of him. After the war, he was actually charged and indicted for war crimes against civilians. If it wasn't for all he had done for the war while pilot of the Duel he probably wouldn't had just received a slap on the wrist. Still, that Natural had destroyed Boaz and hundreds of soldiers lost their lives.

"I know that, but still, we can't trust him and I won't hold back on him during the so called 'training exercise,'" argued Yzak before stomping out of the room with an angry scowl on his face.

"I better keep an eye on him in case he does something stupid," muttered Dearka as he followed his friend.

**Battlefield Exercise**

Naruto was sitting in the cockpit of the Gunner ZAKU he would be using and doing a quick check up to make sure everything was working good. He continued to work even as a monitor opened up on his screen with Chairman Durandal on it.

"Naruto-san, I take it you are ready?" smiled Durandal kindly as the man continued to run over some data.

"Where will the battle be located?" asked Naruto as he finished typing something in the counsel.

"The carrier will be taking you to the abandoned colonies at L4 so that you are far away from the PLANTs and our facilities. There will be two Nazca class ships in the area to make sure everything goes ok," explained Durandal.

"There is no self-destruction switch in my mobile suit so I take it they will shoot me down instead if I break the rules," said Naruto knowingly.

"Yes, I felt that someone might too tempted to hit the self-destruct button during the fight if you showed signs of winning so I took it out and went with this option instead," replied Durandal with a small smirk.

"Hn," responded Naruto as he finished his check up of the mobile suit and started to power it up.

"I look forward to seeing what you are capable of," smiled Durandal as he closed the link between them. Naruto didn't even say anything as the visor came down over his eyes and he prepared to launch.

**Armory One**

"Hey Rey, do you know why they called us all down here?" asked Shinn as he took a seat next to his friend.

"Yes, apparently, there will be a real-life training exercise going on to test the capabilities of three of the new production models," answered Rey, as he looked up at the many large screens that each showed a different angle of the abandoned L4 colonies.

"Did you two hear? Three new ZAKU units will be tested today and they are allowing everyone to see so that the Chairman can see what everyone's opinion on the new mobile suits are," said Luna excitedly as she took a seat in front of Shinn and watched the screen intensely.

"I didn't know they did things like this," blinked Shinn as he looked up at the screen.

"They don't, but I am sure the Chairman has a perfectly good reason and you have to remember only military personnel are allowed to see the fight not civilians as well," explained Rey, as his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Wow, that Gunner ZAKU looks so cool," squealed Luna as the screen did a close up on the mobile suit.

It was painted in midnight black with the joints painted red, as was the shield on the left arm. In its right arm was a huge beam cannon about the size of the whole mobile suit, which let people know it was packing some serious firepower.

"A Blaze and Slash ZAKU," said Rey, as two other ZAKU type mobile suits showed up and floated in front of the Gunner ZAKU.

"Wait a minute, is this a two on one match?" asked Shinn confused.

"Looks like it," replied Luna, but didn't bother to take her eyes off the screens.

**L4 Colonies**

"Remember Yzak, these are just prototypes so don't kill yourself trying to take him down," smirked Dearka as he opened a link with his friend.

"I know that, now shut up and stay out of my way," growled Yzak as he prepared to take aim at the Gunner ZAKU, but his eyes widened in shock as he realized it was about to fire at them both.

Dearka and Yzak both flew out of the way as a large beam passed through the spot both were in. They both turned to take aim at their opponent, but found he was flying away and headed towards the debris of the abandoned colonies.

"Trying to hide are you, I don't think so," glared Yzak as he increased his thrust while shooting at his opponent using the Gatling Guns on his mobile suit's shoulders.

"Really need to work on that anger of yours," sighed Dearka as he started to take aim at their opponent. It was amazing to see how well the Gunner ZAKU was dodging the shots from Yzak as it held that large cannon in its right hand.

"Gotcha," smirked Dearka, but before he could pull the trigger, he cursed as the Gunner ZAKU disappeared behind the colony.

"Damn it, we need to be careful," cursed Yzak as he spoke to Dearka.

"He's definitely good, it would probably be best if we stick together since he might be hoping for us to split up and look for him," said Dearka logically.

"Hn, that bastard can't hide forever," muttered Yzak.

The Blaze and Slash ZAKU started to explore the remains of the abandoned colony as the searched for the Gunner ZAKU. What they didn't know was that the Captains of each Nazca class ship was trying to open a link with them to tell them where Naruto was hiding, but for some reason it wasn't working.

**Chairman**

'If you thought I was going to let you have the complete advantage General then you were sorely mistaken,' smiled Durandal as he had some of his most trusted advisors jamming the Nazca class communication so they couldn't interfere.

**Battle aka Training Exercise**

'Hn, so they sent the former pilot of the Duel and some other after me,' thought Naruto as he pulled out one of his frag grenades and placed it at a strategic location, before quickly leaving the area. He recognized the Duel pilot from the way he fought, but had no idea who the other pilot was. It didn't bother him though because he already had a plan to take them both out.

A beeping sound went off in his cockpit and he quickly dodged to the right just in time to avoid being destroyed. He gripped his 'Ortho' beam cannon with both hands of his ZAKU and fired it at his two opponents, before getting cover behind a large piece of floating debris.

"Dearka, you go to the right while I go left," ordered Yzak as he took off before his friend could stop him.

"Why do I get the feeling this is going to turn out bad?" said Dearka, but did as his friend wanted.

'Now,' thought Naruto as he came out from behind the debris and took aim at Yzak. He got off one shot before releasing the cannon just as Dearka filled the spot he was just in with multiple beams. Naruto watched as his beam cannon was destroyed, but it had served its purpose.

"Ahhh!" screamed Yzak, causing Dearka to stop firing at Naruto look over at his friend. His eyes widened in horror as he saw Yzak's suit get blasted back from a blast from within the colony and now his mobile suit was missing its right arm and the whole right side was in bad condition. His main weapons were damaged as well so Dearka knew he was out of the fight for the moment

"What the hell?" cursed Dearka as his eyes narrowed in contemplation. He knew there was no way Yzak got hit by that beam so what had happened.

'A bomb? No, where could he have got the explosive since the Gunner ZAKU only comes with several types of grenades besides it main weapons,' thought Dearka, but stopped when he realized what had happened. The pilot of the Gunner ZAKU hid a proximity grenade in the colony and when Yzak dodged the beam cannon blast, he came to close to the colony and got caught with the grenade.

He didn't get to think more on the matter when he picked up two small objects headed right for him and recognized them as more grenade. With incredible speed, Dearka took aim, and fired at the grenades before they got too close. His shots hit the grenades right on, but something unexpected happened. Instead of two small explosions full of flames, he got a large thick smoke that blinded him temporarily.

"Damn it, he used the smoke grenades in space, what a crazy bastard," cursed Dearka, but before he could fly out of the cloud of smoke he saw some fast coming right at him. He screamed in pain as something cut off his left arm at the elbow joint, which caused a small explosion that rocked his mobile suit. A beeping sound went off in his cockpit and it showed the Gunner ZAKU coming straight at him.

Dearka cursed angrily because he couldn't fire the missiles from the pack on his pack because it was closing in on him too fast. He noticed that in the Gunner's right hand was a beam tomahawk, which must have been what rendered his left arm useless, but they only came with one tomahawk if his memory of the mobile suit was correct. The man must have equipped a second one and planned exactly for this moment. Just when he thought he was done for, a familiar looking mobile suit appeared in front of him and parried the Gunner's tomahawk with a beam axe of his own.

"Bastard, I won't be beat so easily," yelled Yzak as he held Naruto off with only one good arm and a severely damaged mobile suit.

'Impressive, his mobile suit was able to take direct damage from three grenades and is still able to maneuver fairly well. These ZAKU units of ZAFT are definitely better then there previous mobile suits,' thought Naruto as he kept close to the Slash ZAKU so that the Blaze wouldn't use the missiles on its back in fear of hitting its teammate.

"You need to pull away so I can fire upon him without you getting caught in the blast," said Dearka as he watched Yzak tried to hold the man off.

"I know that," grunted Yzak as he parried another strike, but was unprepared for the fist that struck his mobile suit in the head. His cockpit started to haywire and he knew that he couldn't take much more. If he just hadn't let his guard down he would have never been caught off guard by those damn grenades.

"Surrender, this match is over," said Naruto as he appeared on Yzak and Dearka's screen. He was trying to be arrogant, but merely stating the truth.

"I don't surrender to anyone, especially not some Natural. Now take this you bastard," glared Yzak as he charged right at Naruto recklessly.

'Foolish,' thought Naruto as he stopped the attack with his free hand by grabbed the Slash's wrist, then used his tomahawk to take off the Slash's head. He then got behind the Slash and used it as a shield so the Blaze couldn't lock on onto him.

"Your partner is disarmed and defeated, do you surrender?" asked Naruto as he spoke with Dearka, while Yzak hit his counsel in anger at being beat.

"Yeah, I give up," sighed Dearka as he opened his cockpit and raised his hands up in the air. Naruto released the Slash and put his tomahawk back inside his shield.

**Armory One**

Everyone watching the fight was impressed with the abilities of the new mobile suits, but were more impressed with how the Gunner had taken out the Slash and Blaze. It had to be one of the best strategies they had ever seen especially when the Gunner was outnumbered.

"Wow, whoever that is, is an incredible pilot to come up with a strategy like that," said Luna with stars in her eyes as she stared up at the Gunner ZAKU. She always had a thing for strong men in cool mobile suits and hoped she could meet that pilot one day.

"Yeah, that was awesome," agreed Shinn with a small smile, as he was more anxious then ever to get his own mobile suit.

Rey just kept silent, but inwardly he was impressed as well. Whoever that pilot was they were good. The only problem he had was that they never gave out the name of the pilots who were participating in the exercise. He would have to do some information searching to find out who the pilot is.

**Council Chamber**

"I believe that concludes our little demonstration. Now you see why I have recruited Captain Uzumaki to join ZAFT," smiled Durandal. The council wouldn't dare question him again on the matter after seeing that display of Naruto's skill. He would have to thank the man properly for making his job that much easier with that display.

"There is no denying he is truly an ace pilot, but it remains to be seen if he is loyal to ZAFT. For now though, I believe we all agree that he will be a great asset to ZAFT should another war arise," said a council member with a nod of his head at the Chairman. The other agreed, though a few reluctantly, while the General who started this whole argument just glared at Durandal angrily.

"I am glad we have settled this matter and I look forward to speaking with you all again, but I am afraid that I need to get back to some business," bowed Durandal as he took his leave and the others started to leave as well. The Chairman noticed the looks the General was giving him and decided he would have to do something about that man, but not right now. There would be plenty of time later to get rid of that particular nuisance.

**Break**

'ZAFT grows stronger each day and I have no doubt the Earth Forces are trying to rebuild there lost strength as well,' thought Naruto as he stared up at Epyon.

"I thought I might find you here," said a familiar voice. Naruto glanced out of the corner of his eyes to see Chairman Durandal walk towards him before standing right next to him.

"Chairman," greeted Naruto before returning to look up at Epyon. The Chairman nodded his head at the man as he too looked up at the intimidating Gundam. After a few minutes of silence, the Chairman started to speak.

"Congratulations on beating two of our best pilots, I think you have successfully convince me to mass producing ZAKU's," chuckled Durandal at the end.

"They are superior to every other mobile suit I have seen besides a Gundam," said Naruto as they both continued to look at Epyon.

"Yes, which brings me here me to the next reason why I am here. I was hoping you might be willing to offer some pointers to our pilots once they start mass-producing the Gunner and Warrior ZAKU. I will be making the Blaze and Slash ZAKU's mostly for our elite," said Durandal as he glanced at Naruto.

"You want me to get to know the people of ZAFT in attempt to make me more loyal to the PLANTs and to your cause," stated Naruto knowingly.

"There is no need for that because I do not believe in betraying those that I work for," finished Naruto as Durandal could only smirk at the man's insight.

"Forgive me, but I should have known you would have seen the true reason I wanted you to do such a task," smirked Durandal. The man had just guaranteed him his loyalty with that last comment and that is exactly what he wanted.

"I would like to request that when you assign me to a ship that it has a pilot that specializes in using a Gunner ZAKU. It would compliment Epyon's own abilities perfectly," said Naruto.

"Hmm, well, my people are working on developing a new warship and once it is complete I will be assigning you to it. I was going to assign two others depending on their progress until then, but I think I can assign one more to increase the efficiency of your own Gundam," said Durandal thoughtfully. Naruto just nodded his head because he knew what warship the man was speaking of since he had seen the designs for it.

"It truly is a magnificent sight," said Durandal as he stared up at Gundam Epyon one last time, before taking his leave.

'I can't wait to see what it is capable of,' smirked Durandal as he left the hangar.

'Another war is coming,' thought Naruto as his eyes hardened and Epyon's own eyes seemed to glow a brilliant green in the moonlight showing its anticipation to be able to fight.


	5. Chapter 5

"Have you found him yet

"Have you found him yet?" asked Lord Djibril as he glared down at one of the men he had hired. Djibril was a tall man in his mid forties and had short platinum blond hair. He was the current leader of Blue Cosmos since Lord Azrael had been killed and he carried the same attitude as the former Blue Cosmos leader.

"No sir, we have not been able to locate any information on Captain Uzumaki or Wing Zero," replied the soldier as he shifted on his feet nervously.

"Damn it, there is no way he could have just disappeared. I want him found and then brought to me so that we can interrogate him on where that mobile suit is," demanded Lord Djibril. The soldier saluted before quickly disappearing to do as he was told.

'I will have that mobile suit and its power,' thought Djibril as he glared at his drink.

**Break**

"Hey Commander, how do you like the new ZAKU Phantom? This is the first production model made," smirked Han as he cleaned off his hands with a rag. He was a young man in his early twenties, with short blond hair and chocolate brown eyes. Though he was young, he was one of the top mechanics and technicians in ZAFT.

"Impressive," said Naruto as he looked over the newest ZAFT mobile suit.

"Yeah, unlike those prototype models that were used in that training exercise a few months ago, this model is completely finished. It can be installed with the Blaze or Slash wizard pack and its maneuverability to perform a magnitude of tasks," smiled Han proudly as he had helped design this particular mobile suit.

"I am still pissed off that they rushed through making those two prototypes because it completely lowered there capabilities. If they would have just gave us some more time they would have performed much better then they did and probably wouldn't have been torn apart by that Gunner pilot," sighed Han as he shook his head.

Naruto didn't bother to say anything to that because he knew it was the truth. The Blaze and Slash ZAKU should have performed better then they did against him. It was clearly obvious that they had been rushed and certain details were overlooked just to get them semi-battle ready.

"Will they be mass producing these Phantom models?" asked Naruto.

"Naw, the average pilot wouldn't be able to bring out its full potential. These are reserved strictly for the aces," answered Han.

"Hmm, so then most pilots will be receive of ZAKU Warrior or Gunner," stated Naruto to which Han nodded his head.

"Yep, but hey, you don't have to worry about it since you have that Oni Gundam of yours," smirked Han.

"It's name is Epyon," frowned Naruto as he glanced down at the man.

"Looks more like a demon to me," shrugged Han, but gulped nervously as he saw that Naruto was glaring at him. He threw up his hands in surrender quickly before apologizing to the man for his comment.

"Hehe, name is Epyon, got it," chuckled Han nervously. Commander Uzumaki really didn't have a sense of humor when it came to his Gundam.

"Hn, I will be back later to go over the full capabilities of this new unit," said Naruto as he turned away and started to leave.

"That's just great, we just get a fully functional production model, and he is going to destroy it with that damn Gundam of his. I mean I know its good to test the battle capabilities of every new unit, but does he really have to do it in a real-life battle simulation every time?" mumbled Han as he headed over to where his workers were.

**Chairman of PLANTs**

Chairman Durandal was calmly sitting at his desk going over some records on his computer as he learned some recent news. It seemed that reports of Blue Cosmos activities were increasing on ZAFT soldiers located on Earth, but there was no actual evidence to put the blame on them. He could only smirk at this development because he knew exactly why there attacks were rising so much lately. They were trying to find Naruto and were desperate to find any information they could on him.

'Fools, they should have never charged him with treason when he refused to hand over his Gundam,' thought Durandal with an amused look in his eyes.

Those fools were so desperate to get rid of the bad publicity that occurred from attempting to use nukes on the PLANTs that they drove away there strongest ace. Durandal knew without a doubt that Naruto was far stronger, smarter, and intelligent then any Coordinator he had ever met. The man was an absolute genius when it came to tactics whether they be about battle or something trivial. The best part was that the man seemed to have something against traitors so he didn't have to worry about him betraying ZAFT. It didn't matter that he was looked down at from most of the council for recruiting him because of what he did to Boaz as he would clearly make up for it in the next war by destroying many of the Earth Alliance forces.

'Everything is going according to plan. You truly are the most powerful person I have met Naruto Uzumaki, but hopefully, once Shinn receives the Impulse the Seed in him will awaken. Then I will have someone to get rid of you when the time comes since I can't have you around when I put in action my Destiny Plan,' smiled Durandal as he leaned back in his chair.

**PLANTs**

Meer was not having a good day, she had just got off work, and was going to head over to the studio to record a new song she had written, but found out that it was closed for the day. Now here she was sitting on this bench with nothing to do as she stared at the new song she had written.

She had always loved singing and remembered spending all her free time singing when she was a child. It was her dream to become a famous singer like Lacus Clyne and she had really worked out at it too. Of course, with Lacus being the daughter of the former Chairman and a high-ranking member in the PLANTs, it was almost impossible for her to get any recognition. Meer wasn't a jealous person by nature, but she was envious of Lacus because the girl had everything that she desired. A large part of her was happy when she found out that the girl had been labeled as a traitor because it meant she now had a chance to rise up to stardom. Those dreams were quickly crushed though when she realized people of the PLANTs still loved Lacus especially, when the girl had helped in ending the war. Life just wasn't fair and she was beginning to lose faith that she would ever accomplish her dream. Little did she know, her whole life was about to change in a matter of moments.

"Excuse me miss, but are you Meer Campbell?" asked an older woman, wearing see through shades and had short brown hair.

"Um yes," blinked Meer, as she didn't recognize the woman.

"A pleasure to meet you Miss. Campbell and I hope in the future to know you better, but right now I am afraid I need you to come with me. The Chairman wishes to speak with you," said the woman with a friendly smile.

"The Chairman wants to see me?" spluttered Meer with wide eyes, as she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Why would the Chairman want to see her?

"Yes, so if you would please come with me now, then the sooner you can meet with him and he will explain why he wanted to see you," smiled the woman as she held out her hand to Meer.

Meer still had trouble believing that the Chairman wanted to meet with her when she was just a small time singer, but a flicker of hope started to burn. Maybe this would be her shot to finally achieve her dream. Then again, it could be something entirely else, but she was so desperate to become a star that she slowly let the woman help her up.

"Thank you, now come," smiled the woman. Meer just nodded her head and followed next to the strange woman, not knowing that her whole world was about to change.


	6. Chapter 6

Meer stared at herself in the mirror and felt extremely awkward as the face of Lacus Clyne stared back at her

Meer stared at herself in the mirror and felt extremely awkward as the face of Lacus Clyne stared back at her. Long beautiful pink hair, gorgeous light blue eyes and a pretty heart shaped face is all Meer saw as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. There was no denying the fact that she could easily pass for Lacus Clyne's twin, as they looked identical now, but there was still a major difference.

Thought she may look and sound like Lacus Clyne, Meer did not possess any of the other girl's personality. She was still the attention-seeking woman she always had been, which is the main reason why she agreed to impersonate Lacus Clyne. Chairman Durandal promise her that she would become a star just as she always dreamt, but to do so she would have to impersonate Lacus by having her genes altered to look just like her. Meer was insulted that he wanted to change how she looked, but the Chairman just had a way with words that made her agree and forget that she would be recognized not as herself, but as Lacus Clyne.

'Can I really do this? Do I really have the right or what it takes to act as Lacus-sama?' thought Meer with a troubled look in her eyes as she continued to stare at her reflection in the mirror.

**Armory One**

"Captain, where are we going again?" asked Arthur sheepishly. Arthur was an average sized man with short brown hair and wore a ZAFT uniform that signified his rank as lieutenant. He was walking next to the woman he had started to work under for the past three months and held great respect for her.

Captain Gladys was a beautiful woman with brown hair that fell just short of her shoulders and beautiful piercing blue eyes. Like many other women who were Coordinators, she had a very desirable physique and flawless skin. She wore a white ZAFT uniform to show her rank as a Commander and walked with grace and authority through the streets of Armory One.

"Try to pay attention Arthur, we are here to meet with one of the pilots who will be assigned to the Minerva when it is finally completed," sighed Captain Gladys.

"Sorry ma'am, it just you never told me his name so I forgot," replied Arthur apologetically. Captain Gladys frowned at that comment because the truth was that the Chairman never gave her the name of the pilot either. They were just ordered to report to a certain hangar at a designated time to meet with the pilot.

"I wish I knew his name, but the Chairman left that little detail out," frowned Captain Gladys.

"I wonder why he would do that," said Arthur thoughtfully.

"It is possible that it slipped his mind or something along those lines. Either way, it doesn't matter now since it is too late to do anything about it," replied Captain Gladys. Arthur nodded his head in agreement and the two walked in silence the rest of the way.

"Here we are, hangar 6," said Arthur before following behind Captain Gladys.

"Aren't the Gaia, Chaos, and Abyss located in over by this hangar?" asked Captain Gladys curiously as they entered the hangar and found it completely empty except for one man in the distance. They both noticed he seemed to be staring up at something and followed his gaze to see a mobile suit they had never seen before.

"Is that a new Gundam?" gasped Arthur with a slight shiver as he found it to look be a little on the demonic side for his tastes.

"I wasn't aware there were any other Gundams besides the three I mentioned earlier and the newly built Impulse," frowned Captain Gladys as they approached the man. He didn't seem to realize anyone else was in the room with him as he continued to stare up at the scary looking mobile suit.

"Excuse me?" said Captain Gladys, causing the man to turn to look at them. If there was one thing that Captain Gladys was proud of, it was the fact that she had a very tight control over her emotions and didn't let anything shake her. This didn't seem to matter though as she couldn't stop herself from gulping nervously as the man slowly turned to gaze at her with such piercing cold blue eyes that seemed to bore right into her very soul. She noticed that Arthur seemed to have shivered and even took a reflexive step backwards as the man's eyes turned to gaze at him for a moment.

"I take it you are Captain Talia Gladys and executive office Arthur Trine," stated the man as it wasn't a question.

"Yes I am, and I take it you are the pilot we are supposed to meet," replied Captain Gladys with a small smile.

"Naruto Uzumaki," greeted the man with a nod of his head.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Commander Uzumaki," smiled Talia. Arthur just gave the man a small hesitant smile as he saluted him. Naruto just nodded his head and returned to gazing up at Epyon while Arthur and Talia just looked at him curiously.

There was silence for about a minute until Talia realized she would have to be the one to break the silence.

"Commander Uzumaki, if it isn't too much trouble, could you tell us about this mobile suit? It isn't a model that I recognize at all," said Talia as she looked up at Epyon.

"This disk contains all the details about Gundam Epyon," said Naruto as he pulled out a small disk from inside his uniform and handed it to the woman.

"Gundam Epyon? I thought the Impulse, Gaia, Chaos, and Abyss were the only new Gundams built," frowned Arthur in confusion.

"They were," replied Naruto as he turned to look at them both before walking away in the opposite direction of which they came. Talia raised her eyebrow at that because he just agreed with Arthur yet here stood this fifth Gundam.

"He sure is a strange one Captain," said Arthur as he tried to lighten the mood.

"Indeed, but it is probably best if you don't comment to much on his strange behavior seeing is how he outranks us both," replied Captain Gladys seriously. Arthur just nodded his head as he followed his captain out of the hangar.

**Chairman of PLANTs**

Rey is a promising up and coming pilot as he had graduated from the military trainee color as a ZAFT red. He is respected by a great many of his peers for his skills and his analytical mind. The only problem was that he isn't a very popular person as he tended not to interact with anyone. All he ever does is training or work on the mobile suit he had been assigned.

Of course, there were many things about Rey that remained a mystery to everyone except certain individuals. One of those things is that he is on very good terms with the current Chairman of the PLANTs and ZAFT. People didn't know this because he never mentioned anything about it or approached the Chairman when he visited Armory One where Rey stayed. Had they known, Rey would probably be more popular amongst his peers and some of the older personnel in ZAFT.

Right now he is on the way to meet with the Chairman as he wished to ask him about a certain pilot that he had met almost a year ago. If there was one flaw about Rey other then his medical problems it is the fact that when something caught his interest, he tended to try everything he could to learn more about it. The only problem was that he could find nothing about the man he had met so long ago. His picture wasn't in any database, all he was able to learn about the man was his name, and that he is a pilot with unrivaled skill. He hoped the Chairman would tell him more about the man, as he is very curious as to his origins.

"Come in," said a familiar voice after Rey knocked on the door. Rey calmly entered the room and quickly saluted Chairman Durandal who was sitting behind his desk.

"Rey, what a pleasant surprise. I must admit I was not expecting to see you today," smiled Durandal as he gestured for the boy to have a seat.

"I don't mean to interrupt you Chairman, but I was hoping you could answer a few questions that have been bothering me lately," frowned Rey slightly before taking a seat.

"Oh, what questions would those be?" asked Durandal with a raised eyebrow. It was rare to see Rey with such an expression on his face because usually the boy was so composed. He wondered what could be bothering him so much.

"I was hoping you could tell me more about Commander Naruto Uzumaki. I tried to look up his history, but there is no data at all on him," answered Rey, causing Durandal to chuckle lightly.

"Tell you the truth, I am no longer surprised to see you here today because I had a feeling you would be asking me about him eventually," smiled Durandal. Rey just remained silent and waited for the Chairman to continue.

"The reason you won't find any history on Commander Uzumaki is because of the simple fact that we have none. He was not born in the PLANTs and when I offered him the opportunity to join ZAFT, I admit I wasn't too concerned about his history though I am curious about it myself," confessed Durandal.

Rey frowned at this because it seemed foolish to allow someone to achieve such a high rank when knowing nothing about them. They could be a possible spy or a vast number of other possibilities. Further thoughts were interrupted, as the Chairman seemed to sense his distress.

"I can tell you think that I may have made a unwise decision in recruiting him without knowing anything about his past, but I assure you he is not a threat to us in anyway," said Durandal though inside he was thinking to add 'at the moment,' to the end of that statement.

"He is a valuable asset to ZAFT and will be a great aid in the future. I apologize for not being able to tell you more, but I ask you to trust my judgment on this matter," smiled Durandal warmly.

"Of course sir, I didn't mean to see if I doubted you," apologized Rey with a hard look in his eyes. Durandal smiled at that because he enjoyed the fact that Rey was completely loyal to him and only him.

**Break**

Naruto was sitting in one of the parks located at Armory one in the public district and enjoying the cool breeze. It was incredibly silent and Naruto had his eyes lightly closed as he listened to the sounds of nature. Now when Naruto listened to the sounds of nature, it meant that he was listening to the wind, the plants, the organisms living in the ground, and many other things Naturals or Coordinators couldn't hear. He is connected with the environment in a way that would make any scientist extremely jealous.

Humans have always wondered what it would be like if they could speak with animals or the plants. Naruto didn't have to wonder because it was something he learned to do in his immortal life long ago. He found listening to the conversations of nature to be far more enjoyable then listening to that of humans. It was like a sweet music to him that put him in a state of calm and peace, which let him forget about everything around him. Speaking of music, a light yet beautiful sound entered his ears that wasn't part of nature's natural song and made him open his eyes slowly.

'Hn,' thought Naruto as he listened to the sound. Whoever was singing had a beautiful voice, but there was something about the song. It sounded so sad and full of pain so he did something unexpected and decided to find the person singing.

In a matter of moments, he arrived at the small pond where a beautiful young woman was walking around while singing. Naruto eyes narrowed because the young woman looked just like Lacus Clyne, but he could tell that even though she looked almost like Lacus there were a few subtle differences that his eyes could pick up. The real Lacus Clyne's hair was a lighter shade of pick and the way the two moved was different as well. The only real thing that confused him is why some girl would transform her whole look permanently to pose as someone else.

Oh well, it wasn't his problem and besides he enjoyed her singing so decided to merely stay in the shadow of a nearby tree and listen to her song. He leaned against the tree with his eyes closed and enjoyed the beautiful sounds that filled the air.

**Meer**

Meer had decided to go out to get some fresh air, as she was tired of staying inside and studying Lacus Clyne's behavior. All she had been doing for the past week is learning everything she could about Lacus Clyne. How she acted, how she dressed, and every other little thing she did. She just wished she could start singing at a concert like she always dreamed instead of having to go through all this trouble.

These were just some of the many thoughts that crossed her mind as she walked around the pond and started to sing. Singing always helped relax her, which is why she was out here singing one of the songs she had wrote awhile back. Unfortunately, she was so focus on singing that she didn't watch her step and ended up tripping. She gasped before closing her eyes as she was about to splash face first into the pond. Right as she was about to hit the water, she felt herself stop, and opened her eyes in confusion. She found herself inches away from the surface of the water before something pulled her back up.

"Thank you," said Meer as she looked up at her savior with a beautiful smile on her face, but gulped nervously as she found herself staring into a pair of cold, emotionless sky blue eyes. The man was gorgeous and Meer actually blushed as she got a good look at his body as she seemed to forget about his cold blue eyes.

"Are you ok?" asked the man, not knowing why he cared to begin with.

"Yes, I was scared there for a moment," flushed Meer as she realized she was gripping his hand and quickly broke free with a deep blush on her face.

"Hn," replied the man before walking away much to the woman's surprise.

"Um wait, don't go," whispered Meer with a sad look in her eyes. She was tired of being alone and was hoping maybe she could talk with the man for a bit, but even as Lacus it seemed people still ignored her presence.

"What is it you want?" asked the man as he stopped walking and glanced over at the young woman.

"I," stuttered Meer before sighing.

"I just wondering if you would let me properly thank you for helping me out. Would you like maybe to join me as I walk around the park?" asked Meer hopefully. The man just stared at the young woman and saw how desperate she was for company. It was a feeling he could relate to as he spent much of his younger life all alone as an outcast in his village. This changed nothing though, he still didn't care about anything other then fighting as he nodded his head to the young woman.

"My name is Me-I mean Lacus," smiled Meer as she quickly corrected herself from saying her true name.

"Naruto," said the man as he started to walk next to the girl. He just remained silent and only replied when he had to as the girl started to chat away to him.

* * *

**Author's note:** **The voting for whether or not to pair Naruto with someone is still open. Trying to gradually show Naruto's life in the PLANTs before starting onto the main story and it is harder then we thought as both of us are becoming plagued with writer's block as of lately O.O **


	7. Chapter 7

"_Come on dobe, that be all you got," smirked Sasuke as he tried to control his breathing and ignore his aching muscles._

"_You wish teme, I am just getting warmed up," grinned Naruto as his right arm hung limp at his side. The two had been sparring for the past hour and neither was willing to admit defeat to the other._

_Sharingan red eyes stared into determined sky blue eyes and both boys had large smiles on their face as they stared each other down. They were more then rivals, they were brothers and pushed each other to their limits to help one another achieve their dreams. If one were to see them, they would never believe that in the future these two would become the greatest of enemies. It just went to show that one could never determine the future when the closest of friends could become the greatest of enemies._

* * *

'Hn, how pointless,' thought Naruto as he stared up at Epyon through narrowed eyes. He had just received a vision of his past, which was strange because Epyon never sent him any visions. Could it be that it was finally speaking to him other then its desire to battle? Or maybe, Wing Zero wasn't as gone as he believed it to be and was trying to reach out to him. Either way, he wasn't going to dwell on the past as he had more important things to deal with.

'Whether you sent it to me or Zero did it doesn't matter. I was not changed the first time and I won't be this time either. You waste your time,' thought Naruto as he turned his back on Epyon and left the hangar. He refused to admit that the vision was affecting him in anyway, but to the trained eye, one could easily see the slightly trouble look in his eyes.

**Armory One**

"Stay on course Luna," said Rey harshly, as they floated in space each in their own mobile suits. Rey was assigned a ZAKU phantom that he had painted white so that it stood out from others. This was common among aces, as they wanted to show that they were of higher skill by being allowed to have their own customized unit.

"Yeah I know, just calm down Rey," replied Luna through gritted teeth as she was started to become tired of his attitude. She knew this was just the way he was, but sometimes he could be so damn frustrating that she just wanted to punch him.

Lunamaria had been assigned a Gunner ZAKU, which is what she had requested before even graduating from the academy. She would have liked to have a Gundam like Shinn, but knew that even though she was better then most, she didn't have enough skill to warrant her being a Gundam pilot. That suited her fine because truthfully, she had been dying to be pilot of a Gunner ZAKU ever since she saw that training exercise about a year ago. Like Rey, her mobile suit was custom painted, but is in a reddish pink color.

"Found you two," smirked Shinn as he started to fire upon them with the Impulse's beam rifle.

"Stick to the plan," ordered Rey before they split up and started to return fire upon Shinn.

The Impulse showed off its amazing capabilities as it easily weaved in and out of the shots fired at it. One could easily tell that it was superior to the two ZAKU, but that didn't mean it had the complete advantage. It was still a two on one fight and that made all the difference. Luna and Rey may not get along all that well socially, but when it came to a fight they put there differences aside and were able to compliment each other perfectly.

'Damn, I forgot how well they work together,' cursed Shinn as he used his shield to block several shots from Rey before dodging to the side to avoid being hit by Luna's 'Ortho' beam cannon.

"Wow, you are getting better Shinn," grinned Luna as she started to take aim again.

"What is that supposed to mean?" glared Shinn before firing several more shots at Rey as he noticed his friend trying to close in on him.

Right in the middle of the fight, something went wrong, and all of their screens went black. Shinn and Luna both cursed angrily while Rey just sighed as he exited his cockpit.

"Damn it, what is up with the power lately?" demanded Luna angrily as there simulation was interrupted for the second time that day.

"I don't know, but I hope they fix it soon," said Shinn as he was lowered to the ground.

"They are working on the finishing touches of the Minerva so that it will be battle ready by the end of the week, which is why they are directing most of the power to its hangar," explained Rey before heading out of the hangar with Shinn and Luna following besides him.

"Guess we won't be getting any training done besides our shooting exercises then," pouted Luna, as she preferred the simulation exercises.

"Hey, doesn't that man look familiar?" asked Luna as she pointed at a Commander coming out of a hangar over by them.

"Yeah, but I can't remember who he is," frowned Shinn.

"His name is Commander Uzumaki and a member of FAITH. We met him that one day when we were taking a look at the first production Gunner type model mobile suit," said Rey as he watched the man through narrowed eyes.

"Oh my gosh, he is the pilot of the Gunner ZAKU that was used in that training exercise that we were allowed to watch in the academy," gasped Luna, causing Shinn and Rey to look at her curiously. She noticed the looks they were giving her and quickly composed herself as she didn't want them to know that she had a slight crush on the Commander.

"Hn, he doesn't look all that great to me," scoffed Shinn. Luna just sighed before smacking him upside the head.

"You can be such an idiot at times. He is one of the top pilots, if not the top pilot in ZAFT," said Luna as she shook her head at Shinn. Sometimes Shinn's arrogance just bordered on stupidity as he ended up saying things that he should have not said at all.

"She is right, it would not do to underestimate him. He was personally recruited to ZAFT by the Chairman, and he is a member of FAITH," agreed Rey.

"Fine, but enough talk. I am hungry so I am going to get something to eat. I'll catch up with you both later," said Shinn as he headed over to the market district.

"I am going to see how the finishing touches on the Minerva are going because word has it the Chairman will be visiting soon to overlook the final stages himself," said Rey before taking his leave.

"Hmm, I'll go see how Meyrin is doing," shrugged Luna.

**Break**

"Do you really think that is the proper thing to be wearing to a meeting like this?" asked Alex as he walked next to the current leader of ORB. If were one to look closely they would notice, he looked remarkably like the former pilot of the Justice, Athrun Zala.

"What is wrong with what I am wearing?" replied Cagalli angrily. She was wearing an expensive suit that made her look every inch of a serious business woman.

"I am just saying that you have an image to uphold and even though this is merely a visit with the Chairman. You still need to keep up appearances. Never forget that you are now the leader of a nation," explained Alex seriously.

"I know that," sighed Cagalli as they entered the elevator. Alex just smiled softly as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder before changing the subject.

"How come you want to meet with the Chairman anyway? This meeting does seem kind of sudden," said Alex curiously.

"It was the only time that I could find to meet with him as he is always so busy. I want to talk about him with all the reports I have been getting about the building up of ZAFT military power during times of peace. I am afraid if this continues that it will shatter the peace we have worked so hard to create," said Cagalli as she clenched her fists tightly.

"I see," frowned Alex. He understood what she was trying to say, but didn't know if that was something she really had to criticize ZAFT about as ORB had been keeping their own updating their own forces with all the new technology that had come about in the past year and a half.

"The last thing we need is another war to start. So many were lost in the last one and we still haven't fully recovered from that. Another war would just cause more pointless deaths," said Cagalli grimly. She could still remember the look on her father's face as he pushed her into the shuttle while he stayed behind and burned down with ORB just to prevent the Earth Forces from obtaining their Mass Driver. ORB had been rebuilt, but there was still much work to be done and she would not watch as her nation was dragged into another war. No matter what, she would do whatever it took to keep her nation safe and not let it fall ever again.

The two couldn't say anything else as they reached the bottom floor and the doors opened. They exited the elevator and were surprised to see the Chairman had just entered the building and was walking straight towards them.

"Princess, it is an honor to finally meet you," smiled Durandal warmly. Alex noticed the Chairman glance at him and kept his face neutral so that no one would recognize him. He was dressed in some casual clothes and wearing some blue, see through shades so he wouldn't stand out and remain inconspicuous.

"Chairman, it is a pleasure to finally meet you as well and thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice," bowed Cagalli, which Durandal mimicked.

"I would have met with you sooner, but I hope you understand that I have been increasingly busy as of lately. You can understand how hard it is to run a nation," said Durandal the smile never leaving his face.

"Of course," conceded Cagalli as they continued to make small talk.

"I take it this is your bodyguard?" asked Durandal as he glanced at Alex. He didn't miss the fact that he looked remarkably like the former Chairman's son and ZAFT pilot, Athrun Zala.

"Yes, his name is Alex," replied Cagalli before changing the subject. She didn't want Alex's true identity to be discovered so quickly went onto the main reason why she was here.

"Hmm, perhaps I can ease your mind if I show you around our facilities. I hope that I will be able to convince you as to why you have received the reports you have," gestured Durandal.

"Very well," agreed Cagalli as she started to walk besides the man and out of the building. Alex just walked silently behind them follow by several of the Chairman's own bodyguards.

**Elsewhere**

"Man this place is boring," complained Auel as he walked next to his fellow comrade Sting. Auel possessed short blue hair, hazel colored eyes, and looked to be around the age of seventeen or eighteen.

"Don't worry, once we are given the word, we will have some fun, and you can destroy this entire place," smirked Sting. He was around the same age as Auel, but possessed short green hair and light brown eyes that were half-lidded to show his boredom.

"Hehe, I can't wait until we can destroy this damn place," laughed Auel. His laughing was interrupted when he noticed his other comrade had started to dance.

"What the hell is she doing?" frowned Auel as he glanced at the only female member of the squad.

"Playing the role of a ditzy airhead," shrugged Sting as he continued to walk.

"Let's go Stella, you can play around later," yelled Auel with a scowl on his face.

Stella was a beautiful young woman with short blond hair and enticing chocolate brown eyes. Right now, she was standing in front of a shop window staring at a dress and picturing how it look on her. A large smile appeared on her face before she started to dance around without a care in the world. It would seem to most that she was strange, but the fact was she was mentally unstable, much like her comrades, except it was more prominent in her. This was a great advantage to her as it helped immensely with her job because people tended to underestimate her due to her condition and she was able to easily dispatch of them.

She was so focused on twirling around that she didn't watch where she was going and ended up bumping into someone, but they caught her before she fell.

"Whoa, you should watch where you are going," said Shinn as he dropped his groceries and held the girl in his arm. Stella looked up at him curious before an angry scowl appeared on her face. She quickly knocked Shinn to the ground then ran off to catch up with her two teammates.

Shinn watched her run off with a confused look on his face, but snapped out of it when he heard his friend laughing at him.

"Oh shut up," grumbled Shinn as he picked up his groceries.

**Chairman & ORB representatives**

"All this power isn't necessary, it will only lead to more suspicious from other nations, which could lead to another war," argued Cagalli as she glared at the Chairman.

"I mean no offense princess, but," started Durandal, but before he could finish several loud explosions occurred.

The chairman's bodyguards quickly ran to his side while Alex grabbed Cagalli and dragged her off somewhere safe. Alarms started to sound everywhere and soldiers raced to their stations to figure out exactly what was going on.

"Damn it, what is going on?" demanded Durandal.

"Hurry sir, we need to get you to safety," said one of the bodyguards as he gestured for the Chairman to follow him and his men. Durandal just nodded his head as more explosions started to occur throughout Armory One.

"Athrun, what is going on?" asked Cagalli as they ran to somewhere safe.

"I don't know, but we need to get you out of here or at least somewhere safe. I won't let you die in a place like this," replied Athrun as he looked around everywhere for a safe place to hide or something.

"If you are so anxious to leave then take this ZAKU," said an unfamiliar voice. Athrun and Cagalli both turned there heads quickly to see a man leaning against one of the hangar walls with his arms crossed across his chest.

'He looks familiar, but I don't know why,' thought Athrun as he studied the man carefully. He was wearing a Commander's uniform and had piercing sky blue eyes that were lifeless.

"It would be a shame if you were to die here Athrun Zala," said the man, causing both of their eyes to widen. Before they could say anything else, a loud explosion rocked the area, and the two were forced to use their arms to shield themselves from the dust. When it finally settled down, they looked up to see that the man had disappeared, and they were once again by themselves.

"Come on, we need to get to that mobile suit and escape before we get caught in whatever is happening," yelled Athrun as he dragged Cagalli over to the ZAKU.

"Ok," spluttered Cagalli as she tore her mind off the strange man they had just met.

**Elsewhere**

Naruto watched as the Gaia, Chaos, and Abyss started to destroy everything in Armory One through emotionless sky blue eyes. He would go out there to help, but first he had to make sure that boy made it out of here alive. Athrun Zala was one of the few people who could offer him a challenge in battle and maybe stood the chance of beating him, which would grant him his wish to die in battle like he so desperately wanted.

'So another war begins,' thought Naruto impassively, as the Impulse showed up and started to battle the three stolen Gundams. The sounds of battle reached his ears and his body started to relax. It was not surprising to see a man who had spent all his life fighting in pointless wars to feel most at comfort when a battle was going on, but it was sad. For a soul to find more comfort in warfare then in peace was just terrible and yet there stood Naruto, perfectly calm with his eyes closed, but still able to see everything that was going on.

'Your desire to fight is raising Epyon, and it seems I will be able to cage you no longer. I have no doubt together we will cause much destruction. I only hope someone is able to kill us before we both go too far,' thought Naruto as he slowly opened his eyes before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

So began the Second Bloody Valentine War, one that would just as horrible as the first, and cause the death of many more innocents.

* * *

**Author's Note:** **Um, I may have made a mistake when describing Stella and Luna. I believe they both have a violet type color of eyes instead of blue, but I wasn't sure because my memory is a little foggy on that certain detail. If someone could let me know then it would help me in the future so I don't make the same mistake twice. Anyway, see y'all later, Peace!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:**** Hey everyone, this is sexybitch and I just wanted to clarify some things before read this chapter.**

**The main reason we warned you all to know something about Gundam Seed or Destiny before reading this story is because we don't plan to go into every little detail that the anime or manga did. This story will be **_**mainly**_** told from _Naruto's _viewpoint of things while still adding in most of the major parts of the story.**

**That being said, don't expect us to go into great detail of every other character that played a major or minor role in the anime. We put this story in the Gundam Seed fiction place in hopes that you are already know most of their background and don't need us to reiterate everything. I know that may seem lazy of us, but we would get really bored having to write every little thing as we mainly want to focus on what is changed by Naruto's presence in the story, instead of what isn't changed.**

**So, if you don't know much about Gundam Seed Destiny then you might get a little lost by certain interactions in future chapters because you don't know the history of certain characters. We're sorry, but we do have other responsibilities and we can't spend all the time necessary that it would take to go into depth on every character, except for Naruto as he is our main character. I hope you understand and can forgive us.**

**Oh, thank you to **_**Danny Roboguy**_** for telling us the information that I wanted to know ..**

* * *

Naruto entered the military command center at Armory One and wasn't surprised to see everyone running around half-crazed. It was less then an hour ago that some unknown unit had captured all of their new Gundam units except for the Impulse and took out over 60 of the base before making there escape. One of the Generals had called him here as they realized his unit hadn't been damaged.

"Commander Uzumaki, would you care to explain why you didn't help in the recapture of the stolen units?" asked the General as he approached Naruto with a heavy glare on his face.

"I was protecting the civilian areas at the time," replied Naruto truthfully. He wasn't lying either because after he had made sure that the Zala boy had got to that ZAKU he headed straight for the civilians to protect them from any debris or stray attacks. When it came to war he had no problem with killing opposing soldiers and personnel, but always held off from harming civilians if he could, as there was no honor in killing people who didn't fight.

"All military personnel was ordered to take back our stolen units not go protecting some civilians that weren't anywhere in range of getting harmed," yelled the General, but took a step back reflexively as Naruto's eyes narrowed just a tiny bit.

"I am not under your military jurisdiction, as I only take orders from the Chairman," said Naruto as his eyes returned to their normal apathy. The General gritted his teeth at that comment because he knew it was the truth, but he couldn't help but feel there was another reason why the man didn't help join in the recapture of the stolen units.

"Very well, in that case I would like to ask you that you leave immediately to go help the Minerva chase down the stolen units and the ship that attacked Armory One," said the General as he calmed down. Naruto just nodded his head before calmly leaving.

'FAITH members, all of them are just arrogant good for nothing,' scowled the General, as he went back to ordering some men around.

**Minerva**

"Princess, I am surprised to see you on board the Minerva, but I am glad that you are safe," smiled Durandal as he greeted the younger woman.

"Thank you Chairman, but I was wondering if you could tell me what is going on," frowned Cagalli. Alex just observed the ship they were in as he walked behind Cagalli and Chairman Durandal.

"As of the moment, we are currently hunting down those people who attacked our base at Armory One and stole our mobile suits. I do hope you understand that we just can't let them get away with what they did," explained Durandal as they entered the Captain's office.

"Of course, this people can not be allowed to get away with what they did as it could disrupt the fragile peace that we are currently in," conceded Cagalli.

"It pleases me to hear you say that because it shows that we both have the same idea. If you like, I would love to show you around the ship as a sign of good faith," smiled Durandal. Cagalli glanced at Alex before replying to the Chairman.

"Thank you, I appreciate your generosity," said Cagalli with a nod of her head.

"I will ask the Captain to have one of the pilots show us around," said Durandal, as he used the intercom to speak with Captain Gladys.

**Minerva: Hangar**

Shinn was slightly upset from failing to recapture the stolen units, but he was more curious about the damaged ZAKU unit that was located in the hangar. He didn't recognize it as any of the mobile suits assigned to the Minerva and he was sure this unit had been the one to save his life back at Armory One when the Abyss had snuck up behind him. Who was the pilot of it though because he had to be good to use a regular ZAKU Warrior to fight off a Gundam?

"Hey Shinn, why are you staring at that ZAKU unit?" yelled Luna, as she was floating over by her own ZAKU unit. Shinn just turned to face her and propelled himself over to her.

"It's nothing, it just I noticed that isn't one of the units assigned to the Minerva so I was curious to why it is here," replied Shinn.

"Oh yeah, you don't know this, but this unit was piloted by a civilian. Apparently, the man was the body guard of the representative from ORB, Cagalli Attha," gossiped Luna excitedly.

"ORB?" repeated Shinn, as his eyes clouded over in anger.

"Yeah, but get this. The body guard said his name was Alex, but I overheard the ORB representative call him Athrun by mistake," smiled Luna as she didn't bother to contain her excitement. Shinn's eyes went wide at that because she couldn't mean the Athrun he was thinking of.

"Mhm, I think he really might be Athrun Zala," said Luna with stars in her eyes. She never thought she would get the chance to meet the famous Athrun Zala, and couldn't wait to meet him.

They didn't get to say anything more when they heard the Chairman's voice and looked down to see the man speaking with the representative from ORB, whom Shinn recognized very well.

**Chairman & ORB repsentative**

"Ahhh yes, this is the hangar where all the mobile suits are kept. I don't know exactly how many it can hold, but as you can see it is nowhere near full," smiled Durandal as he had brought Cagalli here on purpose. Though he didn't show it, he took great joy in getting a rise out of the girl because it was very amusing.

"As you can see, we have replaced our old line of mobile suits with these new ZAKU units. Of course, our crown mobile suit would be the Impulse as it is was created from our latest technology. I am no expert on mobile suits, but I hear it is the most advanced mobile suit we have ever created," said Durandal, and didn't fail to notice the narrowing of Cagalli's eyes.

"Hmm, I take it you don't much care for it from the look on your face," grinned Durandal inwardly.

"Well you sure do seem proud of it," retorted Cagalli with unhidden rage in her eyes.

"Representative," warned Alex.

"Ha-ha, you know you remind me of one of our top pilots. He wasn't very impressed by the Impulse or its abilities either. In fact, he even turned down the offer to have a similar Gundam made for him and stuck with his own unit," chuckled Durandal. The pilots and techs in the hangar that could overhear the conversation were surprised by that last comment because what pilot would turn down be offered a Gundam?

"Chairman, you speak of wanting to maintain the peace and preventing war, but you continue to make these machines. If you truly want peace then all this power shouldn't be necessary," glared Cagalli. Durandal didn't a chance to reply as another voice beat him to it.

"It is just like an Attha to make up excuses," glared Shinn as he stared up at Cagalli from the ground. Cagalli was taken back by the unbridled hatred in his eyes and didn't even reply to his statement against her and her family.

"Shinn," yelled Rey as he grabbed the boy and hauled him off with an apologetic look on his face.

"I am sorry about that. I didn't expect a comment like that especially from him. You see, he is refugee from ORB that was transferred to the PLANTs after the war ended," said Durandal. Cagalli was surprised to hear he was from ORB and yet still had some type of grudge against her.

Nothing else could be said when the Captain's voice rang over the ship letting everyone know they were entering a combat situation.

"Follow me, I would be honored if you joined me on the bridge until this ordeal is over," said Durandal with a warm smile. Cagalli and Alex just nodded as they followed the Chairman to the bridge.

**Unknown Ship: Bogey One**

"Captain, we have successfully anchored ourselves to the asteroid and cut off the engines," said the Lieutenant.

The Captain was a tall, lithe man, with long blond hair that fell down slightly past his shoulders and wore a black mask that covered his entire upper face. He had a small smirk on his face as he noticed the ZAFT ship approaching and was ready to take it out permanently.

"Perfect, launch the Abyss, Chaos, and Gaia immediately. Have them draw the attention of ZAFT's new warship so that we can sneak up behind it and take it out in one go," smiled the Captain.

"Yes sir," saluted the Lieutenant before relaying the orders. The Captain just smiled in delight before sitting back in his chair and waiting for everything to fall into place.

**Naruto**

'Hn, they didn't get very far,' thought Naruto, as he sped through space with Epyon in its mobile armor form. It had taken him two hours, but he had finally caught up to the Minerva and would reach it in about thirty minutes. His eyes narrowed though when he started to get another signal from behind the Minerva and knew something wasn't right.

"That signal, it is a Phantom unit signal," said Naruto. He recognized the signal from the ship as he had served in the Earth Forces when the Phantom units were being created. They weren't much use in the war though since it ended before they became a functional unit, but it seemed the Earth Forces had kept the unit even after the war.

'The stolen units are too far away, so they are probably acting as decoys, which means the real target is the Minerva,' analyzed Naruto, as he increased his thrust to full power and made a beeline for the Minerva.

**Minerva vs. Unknown Ship aka Bogey One**

"Damn it, how did they get behind us?" cursed Captain Gladys as the ship rocked from several explosions.

"Captain, they used the asteroid as a cover so we weren't able to pick them up on radar," yelled Arthur.

"Prepare all anti-beam charges and load the wombats," ordered Captain Gladys with an angry look on her face. She had made a rookie mistake and had underestimated their opponents and now they were all paying for it.

"It seems our opponents are first class veterans when it comes to war tactics," frowned Durandal before glancing at Alex, which the young man didn't fail to notice.

"Tell me Alex, have you ever been involved in a battle of this magnitude? I only ask because most people who had never experience this type of situation before tend to panic a bit, but you have remained perfectly calm," asked Durandal with a knowing look in his eyes.

Alex just remained silent, but his hands gripped the seat tighter as he wondered what the Chairman was getting at. Durandal wasn't even bothered by the fact that Minerva seemed to be losing the battle with Bogey One as he continued to speak to Alex. Cagalli and Alex didn't know how the chairman knew his real identity, but he did and that worried them.

"It is often said that the greatest of warriors are the ones who have the most experience in fighting. Do you agree with that Alex? Or is it perhaps Athrun Zala?" smiled Durandal as Alex and Cagalli's eyes widened slightly.

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to imply anything, but something about your eyes tells me you have been in this type of situation many times," said Durandal, but didn't get to say anything more as another explosion shook the ship.

"Take us down to and full thrust to evade," yelled Captain Gladys. Durandal glanced at Alex one last time and a smile came to his face as the young man yelled out a warning to the Captain.

"It is a trap, get away from the asteroid," yelled Alex, causing everyone to look at him shock except for Durandal who smiled in delight.

"What?" replied Captain Gladys, but didn't get answer when Arthur started to yell how they were stuck.

"Captain, we can't maneuver at all and the enemy is right on top of us," panicked Arthur.

"Ma'am, Bogey One has just launched a mobile armor at it is blocking our escape from the front," relayed Meyrin. Meyrin was the younger sister of Lunamaria by a year and had red hair that was tied into two separate pigtails, and had the same beautiful blue eyes as her older sister.

"They are locking onto us," said another crewmember.

"Rey is unable to launch as the launching panel has been damaged," announced Meyrin as she started to worry now as well too.

"Fire all your thrusters at the side of the asteroid, it is the only way we will be able to get out of here" said Alex with a hard look in his eyes.

"I will have to ask you to keep your opinions to yourself as you are a civilian aboard this ship," frowned Captain Gladys.

"That isn't really important right now because staying alive is the top priority," replied Alex firmly. Captain Gladys eyes narrowed, but widened in surprise when Durandal spoke up.

"He is right, and I will take full responsibility if his idea fails, but right now all that matters is getting out of here safely," said Durandal calmly.

"Very well Chairman. Arthur prepare to fire all our thrusters at the side of the asteroid," ordered Captain Gladys.

"Yes ma'am," replied Arthur as he relayed the orders.

"Ma'am, the mobile armor is right on top of us," yelled Meyrin with wide eyes. Everyone looked up in horror to see the Mobile armor heading towards them and taking aim with its main beam cannon.

**Mobile Armor**

"You put up a good fight, but now it is time for you to disappear ZAFT ship," smiled the Captain of Bogey One as he prepared to destroy the Minerva. Just as he was about to fire upon them with his beam cannon, a beeping sound went off, and a red mobile armor slammed into him from the side.

"What the hell?" yelled the Captain angrily, as he regained his bearings. His eyes widened in surprise before narrowing as the mobile armor in front of him transform into a demonic looking Gundam.

"Captain, the Gundams are running low on energy and the Minerva has broken free of the asteroid," announced the Lieutenant through their intercom.

"You got lucky this time, but next time I will destroy that ship," glared the Captain before ordering a retreat. Naruto watched the mobile armor retreat before heading towards the Minerva.

**Minerva**

"Hmm, it seems your plan of action worked after all, _Alex,_" smiled Durandal at the young man.

"No, it was that new mobile suit that showed up that saved us," replied Alex. What he said was somewhat true, but his plan would have worked as well because it did allow the Minerva to break free of their trapped position while the Mobile armor had been preoccupied and even deal a heavy blow to the enemy causing them to retreat.

"What do you think Commander?" asked Durandal, as he turned around to face the new person in the room. The whole bridge turned around surprised to see an unknown ZAFT Commander leaning against the wall near the bridge door, with an emotionless look in his eyes.

"It's you," gasped Cagalli as she recognized the man. He was the same man that had told Alex and her to use the ZAKU to make their safe escape from Armory One.

"How did you get here so fast when you just docked?" asked Captain Gladys as she too recognized the man.

"I believe you are correct Chairman, he helped more then I did in saving the ship," said Naruto as he glanced at Athrun.

"Thank you Commander Uzumaki," smiled Durandal.

'Uzumaki?!' thought Athrun and Cagalli. They both now stared at the man with wide eyes as they now knew who he really was and couldn't help but wonder why he was now in a ZAFT uniform.

**Break**

Shinn, Luna, and Rey all docked in the Minerva and didn't fail to notice the new unit that was docked in the hangar. They all looked at each other curiously before gazing up at the new mobile suit.

"Where did this come from?" asked Shinn.

"This is Commander Uzumaki's Gundam, he arrived shortly before the Minerva broke free from the asteroid," said Rey with a slight frown. He was a bit upset that he was unable to launch due to a jamming in the launch panels, but was relieved that everything turned out ok and the Chairman hadn't been harmed.

"Who is Commander Uzumaki?" asked Luna curiously.

"Shinn, Onee-chan, Rey," yelled a familiar voice, and they all turned around to see Meyrin floating towards them.

"Meyrin-chan," said Luna surprised as she caught her sister from floating past them.

"You probably haven't heard this, but you know that man that was with the ORD representative? Well it turns out that his real name is Athrun Zala!" gossiped Meyrin.

"The Athrun Zala?" asked Shinn surprised. The group had left the hangar and was now walking through the hallways of the Minerva.

"Mhm, he even came up with a plan that saved the ship. It was amazing," said Meyrin with a large smile.

**Athrun & Naruto**

Athrun was sitting on one of the couches in one of the relaxation rooms and staring at the man across from him who was leaning against the wall with a bored look in his eyes. He had escorted Cagalli to her room about ten minutes ago and told her to stay there for the rest of the night as he wanted to speak with Commander Uzumaki. She had wanted to join him, but he told her that she had to keep up appearances as an ORB representative and it wouldn't look good if she lost her temper at a ZAFT commander. Cagalli reluctantly agreed and let Athrun go speak the man.

The two of them had been staring at each other for the past five minutes with neither saying anything until the other. What Athrun didn't realize was that Naruto never said anything unless he needed to and he didn't feel the need to explain himself to the young man.

"Why are you here?" asked Athrun through narrowed eyes.

"I am a part of ZAFT and it is my duty to protect the Chairman," answered Naruto.

"That is not what I meant. I mean why are you with ZAFT when you were part of the Earth Forces last time I checked," frowned Athrun.

"I was never with the Earth Forces," said Naruto, causing Athrun to look at him in disbelief.

"I was part of private military organization that only took orders from the President, and was considered separate from the Earth Forces though it did fight along with them. The organization was disbanded at the end of the war, and I have been in exile since, as they want my head for not handing over my mobile suit. I was then offered an opportunity to join ZAFT," said Naruto.

"I see," said Athrun as he thought over what Naruto said. He looked up to see Naruto was staring at him as if he knew he wanted to ask him something more, but before he could the door slid open and they both looked up to see familiar and unfamiliar faces.

"Oh, it's you, we were just talking about you," said Luna with a surprised expression before smiling at Athrun.

"Commander Uzumaki," saluted Rey, causing all of them to turn their focus from Athrun to look at the man on the other side of the room. They all noticed him from the past and quickly saluted him. Naruto just nodded his head at them and they all relaxed.

"We will meet again," said Naruto as he glanced at Athrun before walking by Luna and the others.

**ZAFT**

"Sir, we have just received reports that Junius Seven has somehow changed trajectory and is on a crash course with Earth," yelled a ZAFT soldier.

"What? How is that possible? It was supposed to be in a safe orbit for at least a thousand years," yelled the General as he went over to the computer and double-checked the readings. No matter what way he looked at it, because Junius Seven was going to collide with the Earth in 48 hours.


	9. Chapter 9

"What? How could this have happened?" gasped Cagalli with wide eyes. She had just learned from the Chairman that Junius was no longer in a stable orbit and was on a collision course with Earth.

"We don't know. It could be anything from a natural disaster to a possible terrorist action, but we just don't have enough information yet to know," sighed Durandal as he sat across from the girl.

"This shouldn't be happening, Junius Seven was meant to be a memorial site not a weapon to destroy others," muttered Athrun as he clenched his fists angrily.

"I couldn't agree with you more, which is why I must apologize again, but I have ordered this ship to head towards Junius Seven to help in anyway it can," said Durandal.

"Of course," agreed Cagalli as she wanted to help as much as she could as well.

"Thank you, feel free to walk around the ship while we make our way towards Junius Seven," smiled Durandal as Cagalli and Athrun got up and left the room. Once they were both gone, Durandal turned his head to look at Naruto who was leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed across his chest.

"Tell me Naruto-san, what you think of this development?" asked Durandal curiously.

"This is a terrorist action and you should send notice to the demolition crew to prepare for possible combat," said Naruto with the same cold look that was always in his eyes.

"How can you be so sure?" said Durandal with a raised eyebrow.

"I was there when ZAFT put that memorial in orbit around Earth. It was my job to make sure they didn't try anything and if they did to destroy them all. I assure you nothing short of a heavy asteroid would be able to knock it out of its orbit naturally and you would have detected such a large object heading towards Earth well before it hit Junius Seven," explained Naruto.

"Which means that someone or a group of people more likely, did something to throw it out of its orbit," frowned Durandal.

"As advanced as the PLANTS are, they can not survive without the Earth as it would mess up gravity in the entire system should one planet be destroyed. In the end, the PLANTS would be destroyed as well by the after effects," said Naruto.

"I see your point, but I would be helping regardless if it affected the PLANTs or not as I would never allow a planet to be destroyed if I could do something. I hope you don't so little of me because of the other things I have planned when the inevitable conflict is over," said Durandal with a small smile.

"If you say so Chairman," replied Naruto before leaving the room. Durandal watched as the door shut behind Naruto and released a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"No matter how uncaring you act, I have no doubt you would have killed me should I have told you I was going to do nothing to help stop the falling Junius Seven," mumbled Durandal with a fearful look in his eyes that he didn't realize was there.

**Cagalli & Athrun**

"This is horrible, I can't believe something like this is happening after all we went through to achieve the peace we are in now," said Cagalli as her fist clenched in anger.

"I believe the Chairman will do his best to stop Junius Seven from colliding with Earth. He seems to genuinely want to help," reassured Athrun.

"I know, but still. When I see that man with the Chairman, I can't help but doubt his honesty. If he truly cared about maintaining peace then how could he give that _man_ a Gundam let alone a mobile suit?" argued Cagalli.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, but I have spent some time yesterday speaking to Commander Uzumaki. This may sound crazy, but he doesn't seem to be one of those people who enjoy fighting," said Athrun as he thought about his talk with Naruto.

"How can you say that? He not only destroyed Boaz, but ORB as well, and practically single-handedly. I went over all reports from our soldiers that survived that fight and they all reported to being wiped out without mercy by his Gundam," yelled Cagalli angrily.

"I am not trying to defend, but he was a soldier of the Earth Forces. He was merely following orders just like I was when I was a part of ZAFT," explained Athrun.

"I understand that and I know I shouldn't hate from doing his duty, but I can't just forgive him either. ORB is my home and he destroyed it. I will not start a issue over it, but don't expect me to ever forgive him," said Cagalli with a hard look in her eyes. Athrun just nodded his head at the girl as they reached the recreation room where they noticed a bunch of people speaking about the Junius Seven incident.

**Minerva Hangar**

'This feeling of anger, it has been a long time since I felt it. It seems this new development is affecting me more then I thought,' thought Naruto as he stared up at Epyon. Naruto could feel the hate and anger coming off Epyon as well and knew that he would not show any mercy to these terrorist.

He had seen some horrible things throughout his life, but never something as bad as an incident where the whole planet could be destroyed. Once again, he was shown how horrible humanity really was. To target a whole planet was just unacceptable and he could feel his blood boiling at the thought.

'Is this your doing Epyon? Are you the one bring out these feelings of hate and anger in me? Perhaps, this is your way of changing me like Wing Zero tried to,' thought Naruto, as his eyes narrowed at the Gundam.

"Very well, I will channel this anger and hate, but do not think this means that I care. I am merely doing this to satisfy your own desires," said Naruto. He made the mistake of caring for another during the Blood Valentine War and like always, she died because he had tried to help her. It was a mistake he didn't plan to make again so he refused to admit he cared what would happen to Earth and was merely following orders to help.

"Hi, you aren't busy are you?" asked a familiar voice. Naruto tilted his head and saw the cheerful face of Lunamaria walking towards him.

"No," replied Naruto as he went back to staring up at Epyon. Luna shifted nervously because usually she was so sure of herself, but something about this man threw her off her game. She honestly wanted to go be with Athrun, but he is hanging out with that girl from ORB so decided to come here to check up on her mobile and found Naruto already here staring up at his own mobile suit.

"I take it this Gundam is yours?" said Luna dumbly. What a stupid question to ask, of course it was his.

"Yes," said Naruto, not bothering to look at the girl much to her ire.

"I have never seen it before and I thought the Impulse was the only Gundam built in secret," said Luna as she stared up at the Gundam. Honestly, she thought it looked extremely cool, but didn't think that would be a proper thing to say to the Commander.

"It's name is Epyon and it was not built by ZAFT," said Naruto.

"Huh? If it wasn't built by ZAFT then who built it?" asked Luna confused.

"I don't know, I received it after losing my first Gundam," answered Naruto truthfully. He still wasn't sure how he received Epyon, but he did have an idea though he didn't know what it meant if what he thought was true.

"Ok, well um, would you think it would be ok if I checked it out?" asked Luna with stars in her eyes. Naruto turned to face the girl completely and she gulped nervously from the cold look in his eyes.

"I would suggest you staying out of the cockpit. If you were to go in it then there would be no guarantee that Epyon wouldn't destroy your mind and leave you nothing but an empty shell," said Naruto as he stared at the girl a few seconds longer before taking his leave.

'Wow, that was just creepy,' shivered Luna, but she couldn't help but wonder why he would say such a thing like that. Now she was even more curious about the strange Gundam residing next to the Impulse.

**Phantom Ship**

"Captain Neo, I take it you have heard the news concerning Junius Seven?" said Lord Djibril with a hard look in his eyes.

"Yes, I take it you won't us to head over there and make sure that those Coordinators aren't involved in the matter," replied Neo as he straightened the black mask that covered his face.

"I don't care whether this is a natural occurrence or not. I want you to video tape whatever ZAFT is doing so that we can make it look like it was something they planned against us. This will help generate hate for those damn Coordinators and then we will be able to crush them," smiled Lord Djibril.

"Of course, I will make sure to record as much footage as I can sir," smirked Neo.

"Good," nodded Lord Djibril before closing the link. Neo just tapped his thoughtfully before heading to the bridge.

**Junius Seven**

"Commander Joule, we have almost reached Junius Seven. The Minerva will be reaching it a few minutes after us," said the Captain.

"Have all our ZAKU's prepped and prepared to launch. I want that damn rock destroyed as quickly as possible," ordered Yzak.

"Will you be launching as well Commander?" smirked Dearka with a knowing look in his eyes.

"Of course," scowled Yzak.

"All ZAKU have been prepped and the demolition teams are ready to launch," relayed the Captain.

"Have them launch immediately. I will be heading out as well so make sure to keep this ship at a safe distance so you don't get pulled in by Earth's gravity," ordered Yzak.

"Yes sir," saluted the Captain.

"Let's get going Commander," teased Dearka as he was already waiting in the elevator. Yzak just glared at him, but didn't say anything as he got in the elevator.

**Minerva**

Athrun entered the bridge with a determined look in his eyes. He had finally decided to lend his help in destroying Junius Seven as it was the right thing to do. Of course, there was no guarantee that they would let him pilot a mobile suit, but he had to try. If one had the power to help then they should use it to help. That is what Kira was always saying whenever he asked him why he continued to fight in the war.

"Athrun, I mean Alex, what brings you here?" asked Durandal, as he smiled at the young man.

"It's Athrun, and I would like permission to pilot the spare ZAKU in the hangar. I want to help with the breaking up of Junius Seven," said Athrun with a hard look in his eyes.

"What? I am sorry, but that is definitely out of the question. I can not just go giving a _civilian_ one of our mobile suits," replied Captain Gladys with a shake of her head.

"Last time he was given a mobile suit he turned traitor and joined an enemy force," said Naruto as he added his own input. Athrun clenched his fists at that comment, but didn't say anything because it wasn't a lie.

"I know I may be a civilian, but that should really be what matters at this point. You need all the help you can get to break up Junius Seven and I want to lend you my aid," argued Athrun firmly. Durandal had a contemplative look in his eyes before glancing at Naruto who just stood up and left the bridge, but not before giving a small nod of his head.

"Very well, Talia, I would like you to let Athrun pilot the spare ZAKU to help with the break up of Junius Seven," said Durandal to the shock of the woman.

"Sir?" said Captain Gladys.

"I am vouching for him and we can no doubt use his skills out there. Do this for me Talia," smiled Durandal.

"If that is what you wish Chairman," sighed Captain Gladys before giving Athrun permission to take the spare ZAKU.

"Thank you ma'am," saluted Athrun before taking his leave.

'Now Athrun Zala, you are falling right into my plans,' thought Durandal with a satisfied smile.

**Junius Seven**

"Damn, it's larger then I expected," said Shinn as he flew down towards the remains of the colony.

"Sometimes you can be such an idiot," sighed Luna with a shake of her head.

"Minerva, this is Commander Uzumaki," said Naruto as he opened a link with the ship. His radar located the Phantom ship that face about a day ago and knew they would be launching the stolen Gundams.

"This is Captain Gladys, what is the status?" asked Captain Gladys as she appeared on his screen. Everyone else was listening on the conversation as well because they were curious as to why there Commander had opened a link with the ship.

"Bogey One is coming towards Junius Seven. They are about to launch Chaos, Gaia, and Abyss. You should also know that have picked up multiple Flare Motors all over Junius Seven that are the cause for its current course towards Earth," reported Naruto before transforming from his mobile armor form. Just as he finished transforming several reports came in from the demolition crew came in that they were under attack by multiple GINN units and Bogey One had launched the stolen gundams.

"What the hell, why are own people attacking us?" yelled Shinn, but didn't get time to think much on it when the Chaos started to fire upon him.

"We have to protect the demolition crew at all costs," glared Athrun as he took off towards Junius Seven and let the others deal with the stolen Gundams.

"Ugh, not you again," cursed Luna as she started to engage the Gaia.

**Demolition Crew**

"Son of a bitch, who the hell are these guys?" growled Yzak as he took out a GINN that tried to sneak up behind him.

"Whoever they are, they aren't rookies," said Dearka before launching missiles from his Blaze ZAKU, but most of them were avoided much to his ire.

The GINNs were concentrating most of their fire on the ZAKU trying to launch the missiles inside Junius Seven to break it up. Yzak and Dearka both cursed as they realized that if this continued they wouldn't break up Junius Seven in time. They were about to go help, but found themselves dodging rapidly as five GINNs started to open fire upon them.

"Bastards," yelled Yzak as he was about to open fire, but gasped in surprise when what looked to be a metal whip cut right through three GINNs with incredible ease. The other two GINNs turned around, but one received a clawed fist through the cockpit and the other was wrapped up in the chain before it cut in half when it started to heat up.

"Its speed is incredible," spluttered Dearka as he watched the demonic looking Gundam removed its hand from the GINNs chest before it exploding in a shower of debris. The Gundam just looked at them both before speeding past them both down to the demolition teams to take out the other GINNs.

"I never heard of ZAFT making any other Gundam besides the Chaos, Abyss, and Gaia," said Yzak as his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I am just glad it is on our side," shrugged Dearka before heading to help the crews as well, but stopped when he noticed something that caught his eyes.

"What the hell? Looks like we have bigger problems then we thought," said Dearka, as he dodged several beam shots from the Abyss that had headed towards them.

"More of our own mobile suits attacking us? Damn it," cursed Yzak as he engaged the Abyss.

'Let them focus on the Gundams, I will take out the GINNs and then destroy all those Flare motors to slow down the descent,' thought Naruto with a hard look in his eyes.

He spotted three GINNs ahead and drew his heat rod. The GINNs started to open fire upon him, but he used Epyon's superior speed to dodge in and out of every shot. Epyon moved so fast that both GINN's pilots went wide-eyed when it appeared between them both. They didn't even get a chance to scream as Epyon spun around like a top and its heat rod cut right through both GINN's in one spin before taking off to deal with the third one.

'Ten more in this area left to go,' thought Naruto. He glanced over at the corner of his eyes to see that Junius Seven was starting to break up, but still had a ways to go before they succeeded in destroying the falling colony.

'Hn, forget the Flare motors, destroying those will not buy enough time. Let us see some of your true power Epyon,' thought Naruto as he put away his heat rod and drew his beam saber. The beam saber looked to be that of an average beam sword, but there was a main difference between it and others. Naruto could change the intensity and length of his beam sword since it was directly connected to his Gundam's core reactor.

Epyon raised the beam handle up above its head and a second later, a large bright purple beam burst out of it. The beam was so large that it was easily ¾'s the size of an average mobile suit. Naruto swung the blade at the ground of Junius Seven and watched as it easily cut through it, like a knife through butter.

"Time to start cutting corners," said Naruto, but just as he was about to take off he was assaulted with a vision from his past.

_Flashback_

"_Still doing everything on your own brat?" grunted Gamabunta as he looked over the battlefield with an impassive look in his eyes. All around there were dead bodies of ninjas, soldiers, and samurai. The Giant Toad didn't fail to notice that the only person left alive was the man standing on his head and felt sorry for the man._

"_I know you have come to hate your own race, but you do not have the right to judge others no matter what their crimes is," said Gamabunta as he took a puff from his pipe._

"_They slaughtered several villages for no reason, they deserved their fate," replied Naruto with a hard look in his eyes, but the conviction wasn't there. He just stood there staring at his blood-stained hands and felt only guilt at what he did. Why did he always have to be the one to feel guilty? Damn his emotions for making him feel this way._

"_The age of ninja and samurai is coming to an end, and with it the power of us summons will soon disappear as well. This may be the last time I get the chance to speak with you after the 500 years you have held our contract so listen closely," said Gamabunta with a hard look in his eyes. Naruto just sat down and closed his eyes because he knew the powerful toad spoke the truth._

"_I would like you to try your best to return to the man you once were. The man they called the __**Mutekikantai, **__who could take on a whole army by himself without breaking a sweat,__and would give his life to protect all those around him including those he didn't know. Only by doing this will you ever find true happiness and not through this emotionless mask you have started to embrace," said Gamabunta as he used his tongue to place Naruto on the ground in front of him._

"_Why? No matter who I protect, in the end, I always end up failing to protect them and I no longer wish to suffer through such pain," argued Naruto as he clenched his fists in anger._

"_You are the prophesized child that has the power to bring an end to any war and create peace, but not as you are now. Though we may be gone, you will always be recognized as part of the toad family and our strength will always be with you. Take care my son," smiled Gamabunta before disappearing in a large cloud of smoke. Naruto would never again see his surrogate family._

'_I will try t do as you asked, but it will prove futile. I have already lost all faith in humanity,' thought Naruto before he started to pile up the dead bodies._

_End Flashback_

'That felt like a vision from Zero and not you Epyon,' thought Naruto as he cleared his head and gripped the beam saber tightly.

Mutekikantai, One Man Armada, was the name given to him because of his mastery of the Kage Bunshin and all other clone type jutsu. Like his father, he had become feared after taking out over five hundred enemy ninja with just the use of his clones and no help from allies. It was a name he left behind just like the rest of his past over a thousand years ago once the era of technology came around.

Naruto gripped the beam saber even tighter because he refused to let the vision affect him, but it was proving futile as he kept receiving more and more detailed images of his past. Finally, it became too much and he shouted in anger.

"Fine, just stop sending me those visions of my past," panted Naruto, as he couldn't take the feeling of seeing the ones he loved all over again. Damn, Epyon and Zero for conspiring against him like this.

'You won this battle, but next time I will not be tricked so easily,' thought Naruto angrily, as his body started to glow. Had anyone been watching Epyon they would have thought their eyes had gone bad as more then one started to appear all holding a large purple beam saber. Seconds later, five different colored Epyon Gundams took off in different directions and started to break up Junius Seven along with taking out any GINN units they came across.

**Minerva**

"Um Captain I think our radar is having some technical difficulties," stuttered Arthur, as he stared down at the readings in confusion.

"What do you mean?" asked Captain Gladys confused.

"Well, just a second ago I was getting a clear reading on every one of our mobile suits, but now I am getting reading that there are five Epyon Gundams out there," replied Arthur with a slight frown.

"That is interesting," said Durandal, not understand what that meant. It was probably just a glitch, which is what everyone else put it off too as well.

"Ma'am, the demolition crews managed to split Junius Seven in half and Commander Uzumaki has started to break it down into smaller pieces at a incredible rate. His Gundam's power output is off the charts and he is only using a single beam saber and his heat rod to destroy the large pieces that have towards Earth," gasped Meyrin in shock.

"Very well, Chairman I think it would be best if you took the escape ship out of here as the Minerva will be going down into the atmosphere to fire our Bow Gun," said Captain Gladys to the shock of the whole crew. While they all talked Cagalli just stared there clenching her seat in anger.

'Why? Why would he be so willing to help save Earth when he is the one who destroyed Boaz and ORB without a shred of hesitation?' thought Cagalli confused and angry at the same time.

"Recall all our mobile suits immediately, and prepare to fire our Bow Gun," ordered Captain Gladys as the Chairman left the bridge, but Cagalli stayed because she wouldn't leave Athrun behind.

**Break**

ZAFT succeeded in their goal of breaking up Junius Seven, but that didn't mean they were completely successful in their mission. Despite their combined efforts, many pieces of debris from the colony still fell to Earth, hundreds of thousands of people were killed or injured by the debris, and the numbers kept increasing by the moment. The debris destroyed the cities of Rome, Athens, and Philadelphia.

Their was only one person who was truly happy of this development and that was Lord Djibril, current leader of Blue Cosmos. He quickly used the footage sent to him by his Phantom unit and broadcasted it all over the nations of Earth. The hate generated from his edited footage caused the general populace to blame ZAFT and the PLANTs for what happen and declared blood for their actions. This signaled the started of the second Blood Valentine War between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance Forces.


	10. Chapter 10

"Amazing, just simply amazing," gasped Arthur as he watched the footage of the battle that happened on Junius Seven. It had been a day since they had landed on Earth's surface and they were currently making there way towards ORB to deliver Cagalli.

"Yes, I would have never thought a Gundam with no long-range capabilities would be able to offer so much assistance. The Commander saved many lives by breaking down most of the large pieces of debris after the demolition team managed to split it in half," commented Captain Gladys as she watched the battle with Arthur.

"I can see now why he is a member of FAITH. I would say his skills rival those of the veteran fighters at Jachin Due," said Arthur.

"I wonder where he has been lately. I haven't seen him since he landed in the hangar and went to his personal quarters," frowned Captain Gladys thoughtfully. Arthur just shrugged because he didn't know where the Commander was at either.

**Naruto's Room**

Naruto was currently lying down on his bed and had been for the fourteen hours. Usually, after a battle, he would spend his time checking over his unit to make sure it was ok, but he is currently suffering from chakra exhaustion so couldn't. Making four identical to something as large as a mobile suit is no easy feat and took up almost all his chakra. He refused to show any weakness so decided to rest until he was back to 100 or at least 90 of his original strength before moving around again.

The weird thing is that he was holding up his right hand and staring at a beautiful white feather that he was twirling around in his hand. If someone had seen him doing this they would probably be curious as to how he got the feather as he didn't have it before they landed on the Earth's surface and he hadn't been outside since so couldn't have found it on the deck. The truth was, he had found the feather floating in front of his Gundam after he dispelled his jutsu before returning to the Minerva. It was crazy to think that a feather was floating around in outer space, but it was the truth and it confused him because there was something familiar about this particular feather. He felt a connection to it, but didn't know why.

'Animals can't survive in space and this didn't come from the remains of Junius Seven so where did it come from?' thought Naruto, as he twirled the feather between his fingers. Was it some type of sign or message that he was suppose to recognize?

'Ever since I have started to pilot Zero and Epyon weird things have been happening, but this is even beyond my reasoning,' sighed Naruto as he continued to stare at the feather as if it would tell him everything he wanted to know. The life of a warrior was never easy, but throw in a manipulative Gundam and life just became so much more complicated. It was times like these he regretted accepting the position to pilot a Gundam.

'Perhaps it is time, I take a walk. I grow tired of these thoughts,' thought Naruto as he slowly got up, but not before placing the feather inside his uniform where it would be safe.

**Minerva's Deck**

Cagalli and Athrun along with many other members of the crew were outside on the deck looking at the Pacific Ocean. For many of the crew it was the first time they had ever been to Earth and were just amazed by the sight though it wasn't such a beautiful sight with the dark skies above them. Still, the sight was nonetheless amazing to them as they had never seen such a large body of water in their lives.

"I am glad you are safe Athrun, I didn't expect you to go off in a mobile suit like that," smiled Cagalli.

"I'm sorry for not letting you know of my actions, but it was something I needed to do," apologized Athrun.

"No, it's fine. Besides, I am sure the people of Earth are very grateful," started Cagalli, before she was interrupted.

"Shut up, you're such an idiot," yelled Shinn, as he couldn't take listening to the girl anymore. He glared at Cagalli with a deep hatred in his eyes. The boy hated ORB with a passion, though no one knew why. Apparently, he had been listening in on the conversation and finally grew tired of Cagalli and her speeches.

"You were on the bridge so you must have seen what was going on. Those soldiers were justifying their actions by carrying on the will of the former Chairman Patrick Zala. Yet, you don't even seem to care because all that matters to you is your precious ORB," growled Shinn, but before he could say anything more, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Commander Uzumaki looking at him dispassionately.

Naruto didn't even bother to say anything, but Shinn got the message loud and clear. The boy either shuts up and keeps his comments to himself or he would be in major trouble. Shinn just glared at Cagalli one last time before heading back inside the Minerva with an angry scowl on his face.

"I apologize for the disturbance representative," said Naruto before heading over to the edge of the deck to stare out at the ocean.

Athrun looked at Cagalli and when he saw the way she was glaring at Naruto, he knew he needed to get her away from him before she did something stupid. Just because he wasn't in a mobile suit didn't mean the man wasn't a threat to them and Athrun didn't want to see Cagalli get hurt.

"Come on Cagalli, let's head back inside," urged Athrun with a look that left no room for argument. Cagalli wanted to say something, but when she saw that look in his eyes, knew better and kept her mouth shut. She merely glared at Naruto one last time before heading back inside with Athrun at her side.

"Wow, I can't believe you were able to silence Shinn with just a mere glance. Usually, when he gets all angry like that it is impossible to shut him up until he stops ranting," smiled Luna, as she walked up next to Naruto. Naruto just glanced at her with a blank look in his eyes before surprising her by leaping down onto one of the wings. Luna gasped in surprise as he jumped down about ten or so feet and landed lightly on his feet. She watched him as he kneeled down and placed his hand in the water and let pass through his fingers as the ship continued to move at a decent pace.

'He is so strange,' thought Luna, but her thoughts were interrupted when her eyes widened in disbelief as a couple of dolphins started to swim up near the wing where the Commander was. They easily kept pace with the ship and even jumped so close to the Commander that he ran his hands over their smooth wet skin. It was a captivating sight and Luna couldn't take her eyes off it.

Luna had never seen such wonderful animals before and couldn't stop herself from wondering what it would be like to be close to one. They looked so beautiful and majestic. If it weren't for the fact that she was scared of upsetting her Commander, she probably would have jumped down there and seen if he would let her join him.

**Athrun**

Athrun slammed his fist into the wall as he was now walking the hallway all by himself. He kept remembering what the leader of those GINNs said to him about how the path chosen by Patrick Zala was the right one to take. It made him feel like all the deaths that had occurred from the falling debris of Junius Seven was his fault because the man who inspired them to do such an act was his father. His own father was the one who originally wanted to kill all Naturals and now it seemed others were starting to follow his example.

"Damn it all," muttered Athrun angrily before punching the wall again.

"Hn, you do not belong here Athrun Zala," said a cold voice that Athrun immediately recognized. He turned around to see Naruto walking towards him with an emotionless look in his piercing blue eyes.

"What are you talking about?" asked Athrun, as the comment was so random.

"Do not join ZAFT," said Naruto as he walked past Athrun.

"You are making no sense. I am a part of ORB not ZAFT," replied Athrun confused. Naruto stopped walking and turned his head to glance at the young man before replying.

"I do not want you as an ally. I would much rather be fighting against you, as you are one of the few people that can give me a challenge. When the Second War, _officially_ starts, do not join ZAFT," explained Naruto before leaving as he was done talking to the boy.

Athrun wanted to ask him something more, but couldn't as Naruto had disappeared around a corner and out of his view. So he was stuck there in the hallway alone again, with nothing but the man's last words to him.

'Don't join ZAFT. Why would he think I would join ZAFT knowing I am a part of ORB?' thought Athrun.

'Never mind, it is time I get some answers from him,' thought Athrun with a determined look as he started to walk in the direction of the man. It wasn't long before he spotted Naruto leaning against the doorway with a bored look on his face. He was about to speak with him, when he heard gunshots going off and turned his head to see some pilots and crewmembers doing target practice.

"Oh hi," said Luna cheerfully, as she saw Athrun and Naruto watching them practice.

"Training exercises?" said Athrun with a small smile, as he remembered the days when he had to go through much of the same thing.

"Yeah, it is mandatory, but they let us do it outside this time. As you can see, I am not doing too well," sighed Luna as she reloaded her clips.

"Would you like to give it a try?" asked Luna curiously. Athrun was surprised by the question, but quickly declined.

"Oh, um no thanks," replied Athrun with a shake of his head. Luna just raised her eyebrow at his reaction before turning to face him completely.

"All of us know who you are pretty well," confessed Luna as she removed training glasses and looked Athrun in his eyes.

"You are a former ZAFT Red and a member of the Klueze team. During the middle of the war, you are responsible for destroying the Strike Gundam, which was considered the most powerful mobile suit at the time," said Luna as she started to read off his brief history.

"Later, you joined a special military team that took direct orders from the Chairman and were assigned to be the pilot of the ZGMF-X098 Justice," said Luna with a small smirk. Athrun's eyes narrowed slightly because he didn't like where he thought this was going. Naruto just remained silent, but his eyes narrowed slightly as well because the girl was leaving out a very important detail.

"I don't know much about your father, but you're a hero among us. Especially considering what you did at the Battle of Jachin Due," smiled Luna as she walked towards Athrun.

"Well, um," spluttered Athrun as the girl walked towards him.

"You forgot to mention that he is a traitor who betrayed his own people and stole the Gundam he was so famous for piloting," said Naruto, causing everyone to look at him. Athrun looked down at the ground because he knew the man was speaking the truth and there was no denying it.

"Idolize him for his impressive abilities with a mobile suit and his tactical mind, but not for who he is because in the end, he was declared a traitor and betrayed those who put their trust in him," stated Naruto, but before he could take his leave Cagalli blocked his path with a heavy glare on her face.

"Who are you to speak to him like that? He did what he did because it was the right thing to do and you believe you have the right to judge him," glared Cagalli as everyone stopped what they were doing to listen to the conversation.

"Whether he fought for the right side or not, when you swear your loyalty to a cause you do not abandon your comrades who place their faith in you," replied Naruto with a slight narrowing of his eyes.

"What about you? Aren't you a traitor as well since you are now a part of ZAFT?" argued Cagalli fiercely.

"No, because I was let go after the first war ended, which means I no longer had ties to any nation when I was recruited to join ZAFT," said Naruto.

"So he should have just stayed with ZAFT and helped them destroy Earth instead of helping to end the war like he ended up doing," glared Cagalli.

"Yes," answered Naruto simply.

"You bastard, of course someone like you would say that," yelled Cagalli, as everyone looked at her confused except Athrun. Even Shinn who had just come for some target practice stood in the doorway confused instead of taking the chance to take his anger out on the girl. None of them had any idea what Cagalli was talking about as she yelled at their Commander.

"Why don't you tell everyone aboard this ship who you really are, Naruto Uzumaki, former member of the Earth Alliance Forces, and pilot of the unknown Gundam that destroyed Boaz in one shot along with helping for the destruction of my home nation, ORB," glared Cagalli, as her fists had turned white from clenching them so hard.

"No way," gasped Luna in horror along with Meyrin, Rey, and Shinn.

"Wing Zero was the name of the Gundam I used to pilot during the war," replied Naruto. Cagalli just looked at him shocked because she couldn't believe how calm he was acting and it made her even angrier, but before she could hit him, Athrun grabbed hold of her. Naruto just brushed past them as Shinn was still in too much shock to do anything, but watch him leave.

Shinn could still clearly remember how his whole family was killed, including his baby sister, during the invasion of ORB, and now found out his Commander was the one who piloted the Gundam who helped destroyed ORB. Luna and Meyrin were no better off as they remembered what happened to Boaz as they had friends that were stationed there during the first war. Rey stood there calmly, but his eyes were narrowed with a calculating look in them as he now realized why the Chairman had recruited that man to ZAFT.

It was suffice to say that Naruto's stay on the Minerva was about to get much more complicated as it didn't take long before the whole crew knew his true identity.


	11. Chapter 11

"Captain, what do you plan to do about, _Commander_ Uzumaki?" asked Arthur, as his eyes narrowed in a bit of anger. The whole crew had been alerted to who Commander Uzumaki really was and since then there had been a rise of hostility aboard the ship towards the man. It was lucky they were about to reach ORB in a few hours otherwise who knows what would have happened.

"There is nothing I can do about him because whether you like it or not, he outranks me. He is a member of FAITH, which means he only answers to the Chairman and unless you want the Chairman to demote us all and assign the Minerva a new crew, I suggest everyone needs to calm down," said Captain Gladys with a hard look in her eyes as she gazed over at the others who were on the bridge with her.

Arthur was about to say something else, but was silenced when the Captain interrupted him.

"Listen, I know what you and everyone else is feeling towards that man since I had many friends and people I considered family killed at the destruction of Boaz, but we are soldiers of ZAFT. You will do as you are told, because I will not allow there to be insubordination on my ship. If anyone makes an aggressive move towards _Commander_ Uzumaki then I will personally put you behind bars for the rest of your military career so make sure everyone else aboard the ship understands that," finished Captain Gladys and everyone just nodded their head grimly.

"Captain, we are within ORB borders and they have sent us a message welcoming us to their nation. We have also received permission to dock," relayed Meyrin.

"Alright then, let everyone know that we will be docking in twenty minutes in ORB," ordered Captain Gladys.

"Yes ma'am," replied Arthur before relaying the orders.

**Athrun & Cagalli**

Cagalli was sitting on her bed and staring at her hands to avoid the piercing look Athrun was giving her. She knew why he was giving her look and knew she deserved it, but wasn't sorry for what she did.

"Will you stop looking at me like that?" grumbled Cagalli angrily.

"I understand that you are upset with him, but what you did was just plain childish. How many times have I told you to control your emotions as you represent ORB and can't afford to speak without thinking," sighed Athrun.

"I know, ok, I know, but they were going to find out eventually so it doesn't really matter," said Cagalli defensively. Athrun just frowned at her, which caused her to stand up and huff at him angrily.

"Yes, but in your anger, you forgot to mention how he saved millions of lives because of his efforts at Junius Seven, which exceeded my own efforts. He probably even saved ORB from destruction with all the debris he destroyed," pointed out Athrun.

"Fine, I will go apologize, but I won't mean it," grumbled Cagalli, as she left the room causing Athrun to shake his head at the girl. He may love her, but sometimes she could be so thick headed.

**Minerva Hangar**

'Hmm, it feels oddly comfortable to be hated. So much easier to deal with then to have everyone looking at me in awe and respect,' thought Naruto as he stared up at Epyon.

In less then twenty hours, he had once again become the most hated man on the planet, well at least on the Minerva. It was amusing to see the looks of betrayal on some of the crewmembers faces as they learned his identity, which was stupid because he never lied to them about who he was. He had always used his true name so it wasn't like he gave them a fake name and background. The fact of the matter is they never cared to ask him more about his background and as long as they didn't ask him something too personal he would have freely admitted he fought with the Earth Forces in the Blood Valentine War.

Oh well, it didn't bother Naruto one bit because he was used to being hated and feared so it wouldn't stop him from doing his job. He was a soldier of ZAFT now and he would do his duty. That was all there was to it and if someone tried to take revenge on him for what he did then he would deal with them accordingly.

"Did you want something?" asked Naruto as he glanced backwards and saw the ORB princess glaring at him. He had sensed her about two minutes ago, but decided to ignore for the moment as he finished going over his thoughts.

"I came to apologize," mumbled Cagalli as she walked up to Naruto and stood in front of him with a defiant look in her eyes.

"No," replied Naruto, to the confusion of the girl.

"What do you mean no? I am trying to say sorry and you are just brushing me off?" growled Cagalli angrily.

"You aren't sorry for what you did so there is no point in you apologizing," said Naruto, still not bothering to look at the girl.

"Argh, whatever, I tried to be nice," scowled Cagalli before leaving the hangar. Naruto just glanced at the girl before returning to his conversation with Epyon.

**Shinn, Rey, & Luna**

Shinn was glaring at his plate of food while he brooded on the new information he had received last night about Commander Uzumaki. He had always blamed the Attha family for the death of his baby sister along with his mother and father, because if they had just signed the treaty with the Earth Alliance then ORB never would have been attack. Now though his anger was direct at his Commander as well now that he knew he was the pilot of Wing Zero, which played a major role in capturing and destroying ORB. Unlike everyone else, he couldn't care less what the man had done at Boaz, but what he did at ORB, but knew he couldn't do anything against the man without being severely reprimanded.

Luna sat across from her two friends and she was having many of the same thoughts they were having about their new Commander. She had respected him greatly for his piloting skills and position above them as a member of FAITH, but now she didn't know what to think. He was the former pilot of Wing Zero that had destroyed Boaz with a single shot and killed many of her family friends that were stationed there. Then again, she had watched the battle footage of Junius Seven and knew that he had also saved millions during the Junius Seven incident, both Naturals and Coordinators who lived on Earth instead of at the PLANTs. It was as if his bad deeds with the Earth Alliance were made up for his good deeds while serving with ZAFT. Luna was conflicted on whether she should dislike her Commander or not.

Rey was the last member of the group, which was sitting at their table with a contemplative look as he thought about Commander Uzumaki. He had always known the man was different, and finding out he was the pilot of Wing Zero explained so much. The only problem he saw was that he believed it was impossible for a Natural to possess such piloting abilities. There was just no way, Commander Uzumaki could be a Natural when he possessed such high reflexes along with hand and eye coordination. He planned on finding out more about his Commander and learning all his secrets before this new war ended.

"Attention all crew, we will be reaching ORB shortly. Repeat, we will be reaching ORB shortly," announced Captain Gladys over the speakers.

"Well, at least we will finally be able to get some rest," said Luna with a hesitant smile. Shinn's glare just intensified before he stood up angrily and stomped out of the mess hall to go to his room to brood alone.

"Don't get too comfortable, chances are we will spend most of our time fixing repairs to the ship," said Rey as much as a killjoy as ever before taking his leave as well. Luna just sighed and wondered how she ever became friends with the two stiffest people in the world. Hmm, maybe she should go visit Athrun before he leaves for ORB permanently.

**ORB**

"I want to thank you for everything you have done for us, Captain Gladys. We are extremely grateful," bowed Cagalli with a warm smile on her face.

"It was our pleasure representative, and thank you again for allowing us to do our repairs here," smiled Captain Gladys with a bow of her own.

"Come Cagalli, it is time for us to go," said Athrun as he came up behind the two women on the ramp. Cagalli was about to say something, but didn't get a chance when a familiar annoying voice caused her to turn around in surprise.

"Cagalli, you are back. I am so happy to see you safe," yelled a man with short purple hair as he ran towards the girl with a large smile on his face.

"Yuuna?" said Cagalli in surprise, before stiffening as the man hugged her. Athrun's eyes narrowed in anger, but he kept his mouth shut as it wasn't his place to say anything.

"Come Yuuna, this isn't the place for such actions," said an elderly man with short grey hair.

"Yuunata, it is good to see you and the others," smiled Cagalli, at the man who was Yuuna's father.

"We are glad to see you safe and sound," bowed Yuunata along with the other council members behind him.

"I am sorry I wasn't here during this crucial time. How is the damage to ORB?" asked Cagalli worried.

"There was a bit of coastal damage, but luckily, ORB itself didn't take any direct hits. I will tell you more about the rest in the meeting later," whispered Yuunata.

"Sir, I am Captain Talia Gladys of the Minerva," saluted Captain Gladys.

"Arthur Trine, Executive Officer of the Minerva," saluted Arthur.

"Commander Naruto Uzumaki, personal envoy of the Chairman of ZAFT Gilbert Durandal," said Naruto, but didn't salute any of them men like his fellow officers.

"Naruto Uzumaki?" gasped Yuunata with wide eyes, but turned in surprise when he felt Cagalli's hand on his shoulder. The rest of the representatives were looking at Naruto with either hate or fear as well because they knew very well who he was. ORB's information networks were just as good as they had been back in the war as they are now.

"Now is not the place, I will explain everything to you in the meeting as well," said Cagalli, as she glanced at Naruto with unconcealed anger.

"I understand," bowed Yuunata, but he had other thoughts running through his mind. It might be easier then ever to convince Cagalli to accept the alliance to the Earth Forces if he could play on the council's hatred of Naruto Uzumaki. Not only that, but he would be rewards handsomely by Lord Djibril if he had some of ORB's finest capture the man and force him to tell them where his Gundam was. Yes, perhaps, the Minerva coming to ORB wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Poor fool, he didn't even realize that by thinking these thoughts he would be condemning ORB to be destroyed by the man a second time. Some people just never learned to not mess with powers far greater then their own.

**Elsewhere**

"It seems Cagalli has returned safe and sound," said Andrew Waltfeld, as he stared down at the Minerva.

"Yes, but I wonder if that is a good thing. She is still so young and while she had been gone the Saiyran family as been making deals with the Atlantic Federation," frowned Murrue, former captain of the Archangel.

"Yeah, no doubt she will have her work cut out of her," agreed Andrew with a slight frown. He didn't get to say anything more, when he heard Murrue gasp, and turned to see a look of shock and disbelief on her face.

"It's him," spluttered Murrue.

"Huh?" replied Andrew, before following her line of sight to a tall blond man, standing next to the captain of the Minerva. His eyes narrowed as the man seemed familiar, but he couldn't place where he knew him.

"That's Captain Naruto Uzumaki, but what is he doing with ZAFT?" said Murrue in disbelief.

"Hmm, perhaps we have bigger problems then the Atlantic Federation," frowned Andrew, before taking a step back reflexively with Murrue as the said man turned to look up at them both through emotionless blue eyes.

'Impossible, does he recognize us and how did he know we are here?' thought Andrew before grabbing Murrue and dragging her away from the window. They needed to get out of here before that man was able to truly discover who they really were.

**Break**

"I am sorry," said Naruto, as he kneeled down and placed a bouquet of flowers down on the memorial sight for all those who died during the destruction of ORB in the war.

He may have been under orders to destroy ORB, but that doesn't mean he took any joy in it. Tell the truth, he was disappointed in the way ORB had acted during the first war and felt sorry for them even now. The nation is a beautiful place where Naturals and Coordinators seemed to get along peacefully, but because of their foolish leaders they suffered greatly.

Lord Izumi, adoptive father of Cagalli, was no doubt a very wise and passionate man. His ideals were the basis for ORB that had kept it out of the war until the very end, but in Naruto's opinion, he was a horrible leader. The man was selfish, and sacrificed a whole nation just to uphold some foolish ideals. Being a leader, wasn't about making sure you kept to your ideals, but making sure all those that followed you were protected from harm at all costs.

The man had made his nation a huge target by taking in a renegade warship, the Archangel, and housing two stolen Gundams from ZAFT, the Justice and Freedom. A true leader would have never done this because it made his nation a target of both sides and that is unacceptable. It was like housing several S-ranked nuke-nin and having two villages declare war on you because you refused to give them up. Whether they were good people or not, who suffered injustices at the hands of their village, which made them nuke-nins, you gave them up because what mattered most was the safety of your people and not several individuals.

Not only that, but he could have saved ORB by agreeing to a treaty with the Earth Forces. Sometimes one had to sacrifice their pride and beliefs if it meant saving the majority of people, but once again, Lord Izumi had let his ideals get in the way of simple logic. Naruto knew for a fact that had ORB joined the Earth Forces, any attempts to be invaded by ZAFT would have been easily held off as they didn't have the manpower to fight ORB and the Earth Forces, especially when the Earth Alliance had just come up with their new Strike Dagger units.

Of course, what angered Naruto the most was that the man had stayed behind along with the other council members to die with their destroyed country as if it would make up for sacrificing their entire nation. Such people just didn't deserve to be given the power to lead anyone as they forgot that the important part was protecting their people and not their damn pride.

'Now his daughter rules the nation, but she is unfit for such a role. I feel sorry for this nation,' thought Naruto, before standing up and staring up into the beautiful blue sky. His peaceful moment was interrupted when he heard a beautiful singing and turned around to see a beautiful girl with long flowing pink hair and a boy with short brown hair coming up to the memorial site from the beach. He knew who they were and wasn't in the least bit surprised to see either of them, Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne.

The young man noticed him first and froze as he looked at Naruto with a surprised look on his face. The young woman stopped singing when she noticed the young man besides her stopped walking and looked up to see what he was staring at. She looked at Naruto curiously before flashing him a beautiful, but was stopped from saying anything when Kira started to speak.

"It's you," said Kira as he composed himself.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, pilot of the Freedom, Kira Yamato," said Naruto as he stared into the young man's eyes.

"Who is he Kira?" asked Lacus with a hint of worry.

"He is Naruto Uzumaki, pilot of the Wing Zero," answered Kira, causing Lacus to look at Naruto in surprise. Kira knew this because he had spoke with Athrun earlier today and learned all about what had happened, including information on ZAFT's Commander.

"It is nice to meet you as well Lacus Clyne," nodded Naruto at the girl.

"You as well Mr. Uzumaki," smiled Lacus. He was so different the she had expected him to be as everyone made him out to be some horrible killer, but that isn't what she saw when she looked into his eyes. No, to some his eyes may be cold and uncaring, but she could see the great pain and anguish they held. This man was not some killer or evil person, but just someone who was suffering from a great deal of pain. Her heart cried out for him because she wished she could help him as he looked so lost.

"We will meet again," said Naruto before taking his leave of the place. There was no more reason to be here as he had paid his respects, which is what he came to do in the first place.

Kira and Lacus both watched him leave with different thoughts about the man they had just met.

"He is suffering," whispered Lacus with a caring look in her eyes. Kira didn't know what to say to that so just remained quiet, but soon reminded Lacus of why they had come. Soon both returned to their original goal of paying respects to the memorial site and were surprised to see a bouquet of flowers already in front of the tomb.

"Did he leave these?" asked Kira surprised.

"It seems, he is not the cold-hearted person we believed him to be," smiled Lacus as she placed their own set of flowers next to the ones already there.

**PLANTs**

"Sir, we have just received a message from the Earth Alliance and Atlantic Federation," saluted a soldier.

"Thank you, you may leave," said Durandal as he took the documents. The soldier just saluted one last time before taking his leave.

'Hmm, so it has finally begun. They are demanding we meet this list of demands or they will take hostile actions against us,' thought Durandal as he read over the documents. He would need to put his forces on high alert and there was no way he was going to cave to these demands and this would cause the Earth Alliance and Atlantic Federation to attack them.

"I think they will be quite surprised once we easily thwart any attack they attempt on us. I must thank you Lord Djibril because once I stop this attack, then I can release the true footage of what happened on Junius Seven. Then I will have the support of the people and my plan can be finally put into motion," smiled Durandal. With this thought, he placed the documents off to the side and hit the button on his intercom.

"Sir?" said a voice over the intercom.

"Hello, I would like you to bring Miss _Lacus_ to me," said Durandal with a glint in his eyes.

"Yes sir," replied the voice before the link closed.

"Now Meer, you will finally get your dream of being loved by everyone while helping me rally the support of not only the Coordinators, but the Naturals as well," smiled Durandal as he leaned back in his chair with a satisfied look on his face.

**ORB (Unknown Location Underground)**

'Freedom, I had a feeling you were still around,' thought Naruto as he stood in front of the powerful mobile suit. It was just as imposing, yet beautiful as he remembered it. He could tell from meeting Kira earlier that the boy had grown and would be a much better fighter once the second war started.

"Yes, perhaps this time, you and your pilot will be able to grant my wish and kill me in battle. Until then, don't let anyone else destroy you," said Naruto before fading into the shadows as if they were one and the same.


	12. Chapter 12

Cagalli sighed as she sat at her desk with a depressed look on her face. She wished Athrun was here, but he had gone to the PLANTs to speak with the Chairman concerning the footage that was released. Now she had to deal with the Council forming a treaty with the Atlantic Federation, which would put ORB on their side during this rising crisis.

She had tried so hard to keep up with her father's ideals, but she didn't want to see ORB destroyed again because she refused to make a treaty. Yuuna and his father, made it quite clear that sacrificing ORB and its people for a bunch of ideals was foolish and irresponsible. Cagalli knew they were right, but she still felt forming a treaty with the Atlantic Federation was a mistake.

'Why is this happening? The war was supposed to be over and a time of peace was supposed to be going on,' thought Cagalli with a sigh before looking over at the photo of her father.

"What should I do father? I am so lost," said Cagalli as she touched his picture lightly.

**Minerva**

"I can't believe this happening and they are actually going to declare us as enemies," said Arthur in disbelief.

"Yes, it seems all that we have worked for is about to be destroyed because of some false footage," sighed Talia. Naruto didn't say anything, but continued to watch the video feed of the president giving a speech about the list of demands they have made towards ZAFT. They were all located on the bridge at the moment, while watching the feed while everyone else was probably in the recreational or mess hall watching the news as well.

"Commander, you don't seem to surprised by what is occurring," said Talia as she looked over at Naruto. Arthur glanced his head over at Naruto, but knew better then to glare at him because last time he did, he thought he was going to have a heart attack from the cold look he was given.

"No, I am not," replied Naruto simply. Talia sighed because she knew he wouldn't elaborate until ask because that was how he was.

"If you don't mind, I would like to know your opinion on why you think the President of the Earth Forces would be doing something like this instead of trying to maintain the peace," said Talia.

"The same reason those terrorists tried to drop Junius Seven on the Earth. Revenge," explained Naruto as he glanced at the woman before looking back up at the screen.

"They can't really believe we will meet these demands do they?" asked Arthur.

"It isn't about meeting the demands, it is about gaining control, and placing the blame on someone to gain favor. They are using the Junius Seven to justify there actions without worrying about any political ramifications. Millions of people just died, it is the perfect opportunity to manipulate the populations emotions and keep them from looking at all the facts," stated Naruto.

"Yes, it would seem they are doing a good job at it as well," frowned Talia.

"Hn," replied Naruto before pushing off the wall and making his way out of the bridge. Talia and Arthur just watched him leave with matching contemplative looks in their eyes and couldn't help, but wonder where he was going.

**PLANTs**

"Sir, the Earth Forces have launched from their Lunar Base and are headed towards the PLANTs," reported a soldier.

"Alert the defense forces immediately and prepare to defend the PLANTs at all costs," ordered the Chairman. The soldier saluted before he went off to do as he was told. The Chairman had contemplated look in his eyes before he received a message on his terminal from his private line.

"Ah, Naruto-san, I have been waiting for your call. Did you find out anything?" asked Durandal with a smile.

"ZERO was easily able to hack into all satellite communications, and predict the current course of action by the Earth Forces. They will be using their main force as a distraction while they attack you from the polar northern side with nukes," relayed Naruto as he appeared on the screen. It was easily to tell that he was in his cockpit from the way he was sitting and the background.

"Hmm, it seems we will have to test our newest weapon then if it has come to nukes," frowned Durandal.

"According to all calculations the Neutron Stampeder will wipe out all the nuclear weapons, but you will need to fire it when the nukes come within this distance," said Naruto.

"Very well, I will have the Nazca Class ship with the Neutron Stampeder waiting for the Earth Forces," smiled Durandal.

"I will not be able to hack into the satellite feed again with the ZERO system as they will know doubt realize I used my old access code and change it," said Naruto before closing the link. Durandal already knew that and was ok with it because next time they would be more prepared then they were now.

**Break**

ZAFT had successfully repelled the Earth Forces using their new weapon, the Neutron Stampeder, to destroy the entire nuclear task force sent after them. The PLANTs people who had started to lose faith in the Chairman soon gave him their full support because of the defensive measure he used to protect the PLANTs. The Earth Forces were in shock because they had expected to be done with the PLANTs, but instead they were forced to retreat.

Now they looked like complete fools while the Chairman looked like a hero for not pressing his advantage and continuing negotiation for a peaceful solution. One man in particular was extremely pissed off, and that was Lord Djibril because his plan to destroy the PLANTs was falling apart. Even his own supporters were turning against him as his plan had failed and they were now facing have persecution from their people. Lord Djibril knew he would be forced to do something and do it quick before all his plans fell apart and he lost his influence.

**Nighttime ORB**

Rey had just finished his shooting exercises and was heading back to his room to get some sleep when he heard some noises coming from the hangar. He decided to go check it out, but not before getting out his gun just in case it posed a threat to him. Silently making his way to the hangar, he stuck to the shadows, and soon made his way into the hangar where he was surprised to see his Commander surrounded by a bunch of knocked out soldiers. It didn't take him long to recognize that none of the soldiers were ZAFT, but before he could take a closer look a voice behind him made him freeze in horror.

"They are soldiers of ORB special ops," said Naruto, as he appeared besides Rey from out of nowhere.

'Impossible, there is no way he could have covered that much distance in so short a time without me noticing him,' thought Rey as he turned his head and looked at Naruto in disbelief.

"Why are ORB soldiers here?" asked Rey as he regained his composure and put his gun away. He wanted to ask how Naruto got behind him, but knew that the man probably wouldn't tell him.

"They wanted to kill or perhaps capture me along with Epyon," answered Naruto before walking over to the fallen soldiers. Rey followed besides him and started to help his Commander carry the bodies out of the Minerva. As a Coordinator he had enhanced strength and was easily able to carry two men, but was once again shocked when he turned to see Naruto carrying the other four without any type of strain.

"Come, I know a place where we can leave them," said Naruto as he led the way out of the hangar and off the Minerva.

"How were they able to get so far into the ship without detection?" asked Rey curiously.

"ORB is the one making repairs on our ship and to do that they need certain design plans," replied Naruto.

"They were able to disable the security measures using the designs," finished Rey in understanding. Naruto just nodded there head as they made their way down the ramp.

"Over here," said Naruto as he led the way towards a corner of the dock bay where he tossed the four bodies in the corner. Rey followed suit and soon six bodies were piled on top of each other hidden in the corner. They were dead otherwise, they would have tossed the bodies into the ocean, but they would wake up with some major cramps from the position they were in.

"Why did you not kill them?" asked Rey as he walked back to the ship with his Commander. Naruto stopped walking, pulled out his gun, and loaded it before handing it to Rey.

"Why don't you?" asked Naruto impassively. Rey held the gun and turned to the men lying unconscious in a pile before taking aim with the gun. He glanced at Naruto and saw the man was looking at him without a shred of emotion in his eyes.

Rey just looked at the unconscious men, but for some reason he couldn't pull the trigger. This confused him because he should have no problem killing these men since they had snuck onto the Minerva and were planning to kill a man that the Chairman had planned to use in his future plans. To him that was unacceptable as the Chairman was like a father to him and anyone who went against the Chairman Durandal deserved to be eliminated. So why couldn't he kill these men?

"Hn," said Naruto before taking his gun back then heading towards the Minerva.

'Why couldn't I kill them?' thought Rey as he looked down at the ground with a confused look in his eyes.

**ORB**

Lacus couldn't sleep as she heard about how the Earth Forces attacking the PLANTs with nukes and feared another war coming. She had hoped that the animosity between Naturals and Coordinators had lessened, but she was wrong. So here she was walking around the beach in bare feet and felt the cold sand running through her feet. She was surprised to see that someone else was also outside and recognized the person as the man she had met earlier with Kira.

"Hello," smiled Lacus, as she slowly approached the man. Naruto turned his head to the side and glanced at the woman before returning his gaze towards the ocean.

"Hn," replied Naruto with an unreadable look in his eyes.

"I am sorry if I am bothering you, but I was hoping to get the chance to meet you again," said Lacus as she looked at him with that same beautiful smile.

"My reasons for fighting are my own," said Naruto randomly. Lacus just frowned though because he seemed to know exactly what she wanted to ask him.

"I understand, and I don't mean to pry, but you don't seem like the kind of person who fights for just the simple reason of following orders," said Lacus.

"Someone who betrays their own people could never understand the concept of loyalty," replied Naruto coldly, before walking away from the girl.

"I did what I thought was right to bring peace. Is that so wrong?" asked Lacus, but received no reply as Naruto continued to walk away. Now she felt bad because she didn't mean to upset the man and hoped he would forgive her the next time they met because she knew somehow they would meet again.

**PLANTs**

"No, you can't be serious," said Athrun with eyes wide in disbelief as the Chairman told him that not only did the Earth Alliance declare war on PLANTs, but fired nukes at them an hour later.

"Yes, though I much rather believe it didn't happen myself, but it did happen," said Durandal before turning on his huge wide-screen TV that had the current news on.

They both watched as the news reporter told of what all happened to everyone to the PLANTs and to anyone else watching. Athrun clenched his fists in anger because this wasn't supposed to be happening. The war was supposed to be over, but it was starting all over again.

Durandal saw the conflicting emotions passing through Athrun's eyes and started to smirk inwardly. He could easily use this opportunity to manipulate Athrun to rejoin ZAFT and lend him his power in his plans. With Athrun and Naruto both working for him there was no way ZAFT would lose this upcoming war and then he would be that much closer to completing his own goals.

**Minerva**

"Have you received any word from the Chairman or anyone about what we should be doing?" asked Talia as she sat down in her captain's seat and looked over at Naruto.

"We are to stay put until receive orders otherwise, or are forced to leave," replied Naruto as he leaned against the far wall.

"I see, I guess everything truly has become chaotic. Not only are the Earth Forces in disarray after there failed attempt on the PLANTs, but the Chairman must have his hands full trying to come up with a peaceful solution to reply to their attack," sighed Talia.

"No, a decision has already been reached that ZAFT will deploy their forces, but only for defensive measures," said Naruto.

"I thought you said you hadn't heard anything from the higher-ups?" said Talia with a raised eyebrow.

"You asked on what the Minerva should be doing and not what the other forces of ZAFT would be doing," said Naruto, causing Talia to contain her urge to roll her eyes. She hated how damn technical Commander Uzumaki was at times because it made him so much more difficult to talk to.

"Captain, we are receiving a message, but are unable to identify who it is from," said a tech at a nearby counsel. He played the message for her and Naruto hear, though it didn't mean Naruto cared to listen.

"_Minerva, do you copy? Be warned that a nation surrounded by all black ships will soon become a black ship as well and then you will have nowhere to run," said a voice._

Naruto recognized the voice immediately as he had heard the man speaking with a woman who used to be part of the Earth Forces when the Minerva first docked at ORB. His name was Andrew Waltfeld, the Desert Tiger, and the woman, was former Captain Murrue Ramius of the Archangel. Both traitors to their respective nations so it was easy to see Naruto had no love for either of them.

"This is Talia Gladys, Captain of the Minerva, who is this?" demanded Talia.

"Well, hello there, glad to see someone is listening after all. Anyway, it is like I said before. ORB has just received an ultimatum from the Atlantic Federation and they will be forced to join with them. If you don't want to be capture and killed, I suggest getting out of there as soon as possible," said the voice.

"You didn't answer my question," replied Talia.

"Ever heard of the name Andrew Waltfeld?" asked the voice with a bit of humor. Talia's eyes widened slightly before narrowing as she had definitely heard of the Desert Tiger.

"If you want, I can use the ZERO system on Epyon to trace the signal and bring this man to you," offered Naruto impassively. The frequency instantly flat lined and Talia turned to frown at her Commander because she knew he knew that would happen once he made that comment.

"Was that truly necessary Commander?" asked Talia with a small sigh.

"You received all the information you wanted from them so there was no point in continuing the conversation. I recommend preparing the ship to leave the dock as ORB will no doubt join the Atlantic Federation and they will demand we be turned over immediately once they do," said Naruto before leaving the bridge.

Talia sighed a second time before her eyes hardened and she started to give out the orders for all hands to report to their station. If Commander Uzumaki believed the man over the frequency was telling the truth then so she did because she knew her Commander did not joke or make careless suggestions in such situations like these. Hopefully, they would be able to leave dock in time before the Earth Forces blocked their exit.

**ORB Representative Meeting**

"No, you can't possibly be agreeing to this," said Cagalli outrage as she saw the treaty from the Atlantic Federation.

"We have no choice, unless ZAFT stops mobilizing their forces then we will be forced to join the Atlantic Federation to save our nation," said Yuunata.

"This goes against the ideals of ORB. Joining the Atlantic Federation then we would be going against what we stand for," argued Cagalli.

"Are you truly willing to sacrifice this nation when you could have saved it?" replied Yuunata loudly. Cagalli stared down at her hands in anger because she knew he was right, but still it felt wrong. Yuunata smiled over at his son because he knew he had cornered the girl and soon the treaty would be signed whether she wanted it to be or not.

**Break**

"How long until we are out of ORB waters?" asked Captain Gladys as the Minerva had launched when they received official confirmation that ORB would be joining with the Atlantic Federation.

Inwardly though, she was wondering how the drop operation was going because Commander Uzumaki had informed her that ZAFT would be deploying forces to defend Carpentaria. She wanted to get over there as fast as possible to give them a hand should it escalate to unprecedented levels.

"We will be out of there waters in a few minutes, Ma'am," replied Arthur.

"Any word from Carpentaria?" asked Gladys curiously.

"No Ma'am, they are still out of our range," reported Meyrin from her counsel.

"Captain, several signals have appeared on radar. Their Earth Forces ships," panicked a soldier from his counsel.

"What?" gasped everyone on the bridge.

"It is a trap," said Naruto not in the least bit surprised by this turn of events. They all turned to look at him in surprise before Captain Gladys spoke.

"Damn it, I want all hands to report to level 1 battle stations and prepare to lower the bridge. Have Rey, Shinn, and Luna ready to launch should they attack us. Commander, we will need you to launch as well if they attack," ordered Captain Gladys. Naruto just nodded his head before leaving the bridge and headed towards the hangar.

"They are sending us a message telling us to surrender ourselves or they will open fire," said a soldier.

"Receiving another message from ORB saying that we are no longer welcomed in their waters and will open fire on us should we try to reenter them," reported another soldier.

"ORB ships have turned their cannons on us," yelled another soldier.

"The Earth Forces are launching their mobile suits," reported Meyrin with a worried look in her eyes.

"Damn, looks like we have no choice, but to break through them. Launch our mobile suits immediately," ordered Captain Gladys as she gritted her teeth in anger at what was happening.

**Minerva Hangar**

"Damn it, I can't believe they are attacking us like this," cursed Shinn as he prepared to launch in the Impulse. Rey and Luna had both gone to their respective mobile suits as well and got ready for battle.

By the time, Naruto had entered the hangar all three of them had launched and he was calmly making his way to Epyon. He was about to get on the lift to take him to his cockpit when he heard a clicking sound and silence filled the hangar. It seemed as if someone didn't want him to launch as he calmed turned around to find one of the mechanics pointing a gun right at him.

"You're not going anywhere, I am not going to let you go out there so you can betray us by rejoining with your old Earth Alliance buddies," said the mechanic as he glared at Naruto.

"Hn," replied Naruto as he stared the man in his eyes with that same impassive look that was always on his face.


	13. Chapter 13

Naruto stared at the mechanic with a blank look in his eyes as the man continued to point the gun at him. He could tell the man held a great deal of hate for him and he already knew from glancing at the others in the hangar that they agreed with his statement. None of them trusted him since learning he was the one who piloted Wing Zero and had destroyed Boaz along with countless other ZAFT soldiers during the Blood Valentine War.

The mechanic on the other hand wasn't so brave anymore as he stared into the cold, piercing blue eyes of his Commander. It was so much easier to pull the gun out at him when his back was turned, but now an overwhelming sense of fear washed over him. He could feel his legs shaking and he had started to sweat heavily as he continued to point the gun at Naruto.

"Put the gun away," said Naruto.

"No way, I already told you I am not giving you the chance to rejoin with your old buddies. I refuse to let a monster like you leave this ship," replied the mechanic as he tried to stop the shaking of his hands.

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly before he took a step towards the mechanic causing the man to take a step back reflexively. The mechanic was a young man in his late twenties had short brown hair with coal black eyes and a slim build. It was easy for Naruto to tell he had never been in any real battles before from the look in his eyes and the sweat dripping down from his forehead.

"I do not betray my comrades," replied Naruto as he stopped walking.

"We aren't your damn comrades, you are a Natural, and we are Coordinators. We will never be comrades," growled the man angrily.

'Am I a Natural?' thought Naruto with a contemplative look in his eyes. Naturals were characterized as those who didn't have their genes altered while in the womb so technically Naruto was a Natural. Then again, he had trained his body farther then any being that had ever lived so far and could accomplish feats that others were consider impossible. Perhaps, he wasn't either a Natural or Coordinator seeing is how he needed to be human to be classified in either group.

A human was a being that lived for a certain amount of years before there bodies grew too old and they died unless they died of other means. Naruto couldn't die or had yet to die even after thousands of battles and hundreds of wars. So technically, he wasn't a human, but an immortal. Anyway, he had more important matters to deal with then think about what he would be considered.

"I am a soldier of ZAFT and as such we are comrades whether you like me or not. I have been given orders and I will go through with them," said Naruto before turning around and heading towards Epyon.

"Stop, I swear I will shoot," yelled the man with a conflicted look in his eyes. The gun shook violently in his hands as he watched Naruto ignore him and walk towards Epyon as if he didn't hear him.

The mechanic wasn't a killer, but he had lost his father in the destruction of Boaz and his Commander was the one who had destroyed Boaz. He wanted to so badly kill the man, but for some reason he found it hard to pull the trigger. Commander Uzumaki, was not an ally and he would betray them. With these thoughts, the mechanic closed his eyes tightly, and pulled the trigger.

A loud shot rang out through the hangar and Naruto had stopped walking. Everyone watched with wide eyes as the left side of the captain's uniform started to turn red and they knew the bullet had struck in the area of where his kidney was located. Naruto just touched his hand to the spot and stared at the blood on his fingers with the same impassive expression that was always there. He then continued to walk towards Epyon and didn't bother to look at the mechanic who had fell to his knees with a shocked look in his eyes.

**Minerva vs. Atlantic Federation**

"Damn, this is ridiculous," cursed Shin as he shot down another two Windam. He had been fighting for a good ten minutes now and it didn't seem he had put a dent in the Earth Forces that had come at them.

Worse, the Minerva was taking heavy damage as they couldn't turn around to ORB waters as the ORB ships were preventing them from reentering their waters. If they didn't find a way out this soon then they would be destroyed.

"Where the hell is Commander Uzumaki?" yelled Luna as she opened communications with the bridge.

"We don't know," frowned Captain Gladys before gritting her teeth in anger as the Minerva shook from several explosions.

"It doesn't matter where he is, worry about protecting the Minerva," said Rey before shooting down some missiles fired at them from the Earth ships blocking their path.

"Luna watch out," yelled Shinn with wide eyes as a couple of Windam had managed to get past them. Luna eyes went wide in fear as two Windam locked onto her with their rifles and then fired right at her. Rey kicked his thrusters to full blast to save her, but he already knew he wouldn't make in time.

It was as if time slowed down as Luna saw her life flashed before her eyes, but then a red blur appeared in front of her and took the blasts instead. She instantly recognized it as her Commander's Gundam and in a quick flick of the wrist, Epyon released its heat rod and used it to cut right through the two Windam.

"Are you ok?" asked Naruto as he appeared on her monitor. Luna just nodded her head as she was still coming down from when she though she was going to die. After getting the affirmative from her, Epyon took to the skies, and started to back up the Impulse in taking down the rest of the Earth Forces mobile suits.

"About damn time you showed up," grumbled Shinn as he drew his beam saber and cut through an approaching Windam with ease.

Shinn didn't get any reply, but his eyes widened in fear when Epyon turned in his direction before whipping its heat rod at him. He just barely managed to move the Impulse in time and was about to yell at the man when he heard an explosion behind him and turned to see a Windam that had managed to sneak up behind him get destroyed. The heat rod retracted and Epyon went off to engage another group of Windam.

'Bastard, I'll show you I don't need your help,' thought Shinn angrily before preparing to take off at full thrust, but stopped when a large warning sound went off in his cockpit.

"Everyone, the Earth Forces is launching some type of mobile armor and it is huge," said Meyrin with wide eyes before pulling up the image for them all to see.

"All pilots fall back, we will use our Bow Gun (Particle Beam Cannon) to destroy that mobile suit," ordered Captain Gladys.

'Hmm, my reaction time has been slowed due to my injury,' thought Naruto as he fell back and glanced at the wound he suffered earlier. He hated gun shot wounds because the small piece of metal got stuck in his body and his advanced healing allowed his skin to heal right over it. It was a very painful process of punching a hole into the spot where he was shot with his own hands to pull out the bullet. Luckily, he had a high tolerance of pain and it was nothing but a mere annoyance to him after so many centuries of performing such a procedure.

He headed over to take out any remaining Windam while the Minerva fired its Particle Beam Cannon at the new mobile armor that was easily twice the size of his own Gundam and looked to be some type of crab with its pincer type arms. His eyes narrowed as a shield appeared and deflected the Minerva's Particle Beam.

"No way," gasped Shinn as he uttered the thoughts all those aboard the Minerva.

"Shinn, you have to take out that mobile armor before it gets to the Minerva. Commander Uzumaki is too busy dealing with the remaining Windam," said Meyrin hastily.

"Got it," said Shin as his eyes hardened.

'Time to end this,' thought Naruto as he noticed that the Minerva was getting to close to ORB borders.

He quickly retracted his heat rod and drew his beam saber then activated it to full power. Naruto flew at the Windam closest to him and stabbed it through the chest with his saber before using his impressive strength to fling it at the Windam trying to sneak up behind him. The Windam exploded in front of its ally, which effectively blinded the last remaining Windam from seeing anything. It's pilots eyes widened in horror though when beam entered its chest from behind as it didn't even detect Epyon on its radar until it was too late.

Epyon having finished off the last two Windam, headed towards the Earth Forces ships in the distance, and drew its heat rod with its beam saber still in its right hand. It landed on the deck of a carrier and then swung its heat rod at the other three ships on the left. The heat rod extended to great lengths with a deadly curve to it as it easily pierced through all three ships causing them all to explode.

The Captain on the bridge of the ship that Epyon landed on watched with terror filled eyes as the demonic Gundam destroyed his allies on either side of him. He was gripped with such fear and terror that he forgot to issue the order to abandon ship and Epyon raised its beam saber high above its head before stabbing it right through the bridge and all the way through and out the bottom of the ship. Epyon jumped backwards and floated in the air as it watched as over ten ships, large and small, exploded then sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

'Hn, it seems the boy's power has increased,' thought Naruto as he turned around and watched as the Impulse managed to take out the mobile armor when it was having so much trouble with it merely a few moments ago. It was like when he fought the Freedom and Justice, and the Gundams would start fighting at incredible levels when it looked like he had them finished. Perhaps, the pilot of the Impulse wasn't as weak as he thought.

**Minerva Hangar**

"Shinn that was amazing, you managed to take out at that mobile armor all on your own," said Luna excitedly, as she congratulated the boy. The rest of the crew started to congratulate him as well and even Rey nodded at him in approval. Shinn couldn't stop the pleased smile from reaching his face as he accepted the praise.

The praised didn't last long when Commander Uzumaki exited his cockpit and used the grapping lift to lower himself to the ground. Shinn, Rey, and Luna noticed the large blood stain on the lower left side of his uniform and couldn't help but wonder what happened. They all watched as Naruto landed on the ground and everyone in the hangar turned to face him. The man had single-handedly cleared a path for them by destroying all the Earth Forces ship and any more doubts of him betraying them seemed to be gone from their mind as they all stood straight and saluted him with looks of gratitude in their eyes.

One mechanic in particular stepped forward and bowed lowed to Naruto before falling back and saluting the Commander. Naruto just remained as impassive as always and made his way past the crew, but stopped when he reached the mechanic who had bowed to him. The mechanic watched with a defeated look in his eyes as Naruto paused next to him, but was surprised when Naruto reached into uniform's pocket and pulled something out.

"This is yours," said Naruto as he tossed something at the mechanic before leaving the hangar. The mechanic caught the unknown item with a confused look on his face before looking down at what was in his hand. His eyes went wide with disbelief as he noticed he was holding a small bullet covered in blood. It was the bullet that he had shot at his Commander earlier and the mechanic's eyes clouded over in shame as he had shot at the man who saved all their lives.

**PLANTs**

"Athrun, it is good to see you again," smiled Durandal as Meer stood next to him with a beautiful smile on her face as well.

"I have decided to take your offer and join ZAFT," said Athrun with a hard look in his eyes. Durandal smiled wider at that and pulled out a small box that contained a special item in it.

"I was hoping you would and I had this prepared for you," said Durandal as he handed Athrun the item. Athrun took the box, opened it, and gasped in surprised as he recognized the item as those worn by members of FAITH.

"I know you beliefs may differ from my own so use this to fight for what you believe in. It is my hope that with this power you will help me create a peaceful world," explained Durandal.

"Chairman," started Athrun, but stopped when the Chairman just smiled at him.

"I know you are also worried about the situation in ORB so please go join the Minerva. I have high hopes for that battleship. It is my hope it will play a similar role to what the Archangel played in the first war. I have no doubt with you aboard the Minerva along with Naruto-san that you both will make those hopes a reality," smiled Durandal.

"Naruto-kun?" muttered Meer with wide eyes before a guilty look appeared on her face. Durandal and Athrun didn't seem to hear or notice the look on Meer's face and continued to talk while the young woman beat herself over some internal conflict.

**Break**

"Wow, I still can't believe what Commander Uzumaki was able to do with just a single Gundam," said Arthur as they received a report that all units had docked in the hangar.

"Yes, it seems we all owe him an apology as we had doubts that he would truly fight for us once the Earth Alliance officially declared war on us," smiled Captain Gladys.

"Yeah, I mean what he did out there was incredible. I doubt even the rumors of what the Freedom did at Jachin Due could match up to this," nodded Arthur.

"Do not fool yourself, the Freedom took out over 50 nuclear weapons along with a hundred mobile suits and over ten Nazca class ships," said Naruto, causing both of them to jump in surprise as they didn't even know he was there.

"Commander," saluted Captain Gladys and Arthur. Naruto just nodded his head at them, which caused them both to relax.

"I would like to apologize for my behavior lately sir," apologized Arthur seriously. Naruto just tilted his head in acceptance of the apology and Arthur sighed in relief, which made Talia smirk a bit at her executive officer.

"It shouldn't be long until we reach Carpentaria sir, so if you would like to rest until then please feel free," offered Captain Gladys.

"I am fine," replied Naruto.

"Very well, I shall let you know when we reach Carpentaria," said Captain Gladys. Naruto just nodded his head before taking his leave where he would then go to the deck to stare out over the ocean.

Naruto didn't bother to bring up the issue of what happened with the mechanic because it didn't bother him in the least so long as the man didn't try it again. If he, then next time he wouldn't be so kind.


	14. Chapter 14

'Hmm,' thought Naruto as he walked through mall and looked at all the shop windows with his usual impassive expression.

The Minerva had landed in Carpentaria about five hours ago, and all crew had been given permission to disembark since they were currently out of harm's way. He grew tired of listening to all the commotion of the crew bragging to others what he did to get them here so decided against his better judgment to go exploring. Tell the truth he had never been here since ZAFT's occupation of Carpentaria and he could see why the Earth Forces failed each and every time to reacquire this base. ZAFT had definitely gone all out to protect themselves from any large-scale attacks, but there was a flaw.

Like most military bases like this, they were unprepared for any type of small-scale invasion say one or two people trained extensively in assassination. This is why the attack on Armory One was so successful because ZAFT never expected an attack from within. The same thing could easily occur again here at Carpentaria, but he highly doubted they would take any precautions until it was too late.

"Commander!" yelled a familiar voice, which caused Naruto to turn his head slightly to see Luna waving at him before she ran in his direction.

"Luna-san," said Naruto with a nod of his head. The girl smiled brightly at him before walking next to him the smile never leaving her face.

"No offense, but I never expected to see you in a mall," smiled Luna with a teasing glint in her eyes.

"I am merely looking around," replied Naruto.

"Uh huh, if you say so," giggled Luna. This man had saved her life and it was in that moment she knew he couldn't be as cold-hearted as he acted if he was willing to take several beams to the chest for her, whom he barely even knew. With that thought, she decided to do whatever it took to get to know him better even if it meant to annoy the hell out of him until he showed some type of emotion.

"Well I hope you don't mind, but I think I'll walk around with you a bit. I have no idea what Shinn or Rey are doing, but if I had to guess it is probably something boring," said Luna with a dismissive gesture of her hand. Naruto just glanced at the girl with a curious expression is his eye as the girl seemed to be unnaturally cheerful, well at least to him.

"Oh, I wanted to say thank you for saving my life. I didn't get the chance to thank you before because I couldn't find you, but now that you are here. Thank you," smiled Luna before bowing. Naruto nodded his head and was about to continue walking when he felt a shift in the air so turned his head to see Luna glaring at him with a cute pout on her face.

"Hey, I just thank you for saving my life and all you can do is nod your head," glared Luna as she put her hands on her hips indignantly. Naruto just frowned slightly, but noticed the girl wouldn't let the matter drop so mentally sighed before replying.

"You're welcome," said Naruto, causing Luna to smile brightly at him.

"See, that wasn't so hard," smirked Luna as she started to walk next to Naruto with a small hum.

'She reminds me of Ino-chan,' thought Naruto, before squashing that thought immediately. He would not let the similarities in personality cause in him to lose control over his emotions.

"Hmm, I need some new clothes. I got it, you can tell me how I look while I try some new things," smile Luna enthusiastically before grabbing Naruto's arm and dragging him towards a store she had her eyes on.

"I rather not," said Naruto clearly uncomfortable.

"Aww, don't be like that," pouted Luna, but Naruto didn't budge. She just sighed, but then a small smirk formed on her face.

"Fine, but since you don't want to go clothe shopping you are going to buy me lunch, _Commander_," smiled Luna with a challenging look that dared him to say no. Naruto nodded look and allowed the girl to drag him towards the food court.

"After lunch think I could check out your Gundam?" asked Luna hopefully.

"No," replied Naruto without hesitation.

"Meh, can't blame a girl for trying," sighed Luna before she cheered up rather quickly as she noticed they had this place she loved to eat at the Food Court.

**Minerva**

"Thanks for the lunch, it was great," smiled Luna in delight as she and Naruto entered the hangar. Naruto just nodded his head in agreement because the food wasn't bad and the girl hadn't annoyed him too much.

They didn't get to say anything more when all mechanics started to clear the way like they did when one of them was landing there mobile suits. Naruto frowned at that because according to his knowledge all their mobile suits were accounted for. He and Luna watched as a new mobile suit docked in the hangar and Naruto's eyes narrowed. It was the Savior Gundam, which was designed based off Epyon.

The Savior Gundam was created by ZAFT in hopes to recreate a Gundam with similar abilities to Epyon, but with long-range and higher defense capabilities. It contained twin beam sabers located on the shoulders along with a regular beam saber on the right waist. On the right side of the arm was a prototype beam rifle, more powerful then the one the Impulse used and on it's left armor was the newest shield that could easily deflect beam rifles blasts. Naruto had no doubt this Gundam could possibly pose a challenge to him, but Epyon was still far superior to it in close-combat.

"Whoa, is that a new model? Who is piloting it?" wondered Luna curiously.

"Hey, did you see that new mobile suit?" asked Shinn as he ran into the hangar, but went silent when he saw what Luna was looking at.

"Yeah, but I don't know who is piloting it," replied Luna as they watched the cockpit open.

'Hn, so he joined ZAFT after all,' thought Naruto before taking his leave of the hangar. He had seen all he needed to see and would check on Epyon later while hoping it didn't destroy the weak copy of itself. Naruto also didn't fail to notice the look of admirations coming from Luna and Meyrin as they realized Athrun was the pilot of the new Gundam.

'Perhaps, she is more like Sakura,' thought Naruto with a slight frown. He respected Luna's skill as a pilot, but it seemed she craved the attention of those who accomplished great things. That didn't bother him though because it meant that she probably would leave him alone in favor of the Zala boy. This caused Naruto to receive a vision just as he made it to his room.

_Flashback_

"_What do you want dobe? You think because you wear those Hokage robes that you are a challenge for me?" taunted Sasuke with his usually arrogant smirk._

"_Just leave Naruto, I don't want to have to hurt you," pleaded Sakura. She had a guilty look in her eyes as she looked at her teammate, who she had abandoned to be with the other._

_Naruto just looked at them both coldly, but his Hokage hat prevented them from seeing the cold look in his eyes as his robes billowed in the wind. He stood across from the silently for a good thirty seconds before he raised his head and gave them a look that could freeze hell over. There was no trace of his usual mirth or playfulness, only a cold hard look that promised pain if they did do what he said._

"_Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, for crimes against Konoha you are both sentenced to a life imprisonment. Surrender now, and I promise no harm will come to you as a sign of good faith," said Naruto seriously._

"_Hn, like I am scared of some fake Hokage," scowled Sasuke as he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. Sakura knew from the look in Naruto's eyes that she would not be able to convince him to leave them along so she would just have to help her love beat him and then convince Sasuke not to kill him._

"_Very well, then since you both refuse to face trial then as Hokage I will deem your punishment. As the Rokudaime Hokage of Konoha, I have deemed you both too much of a threat to the peace and safety of Konoha. Your punishment is death," said Naruto coldly._

"_Don't make me laugh dobe," laughed Sasuke before preparing to charge at Naruto, but his eyes went wide in fear as he felt an familiar hand land on his right arm. Sakura eyes went wide in horror too because she couldn't believe how fast Naruto had moved and not even Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan could follow it._

"_Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse then trash. Remember that because the lowest level in hell is reserved for those who betray the ones who loved and trusted them," whispered Naruto. That was last thing Sasuke and Sakura heard before they were sent to hell courtesy of the Rokudaime Hokage of Konoha, the most powerful Hokage in Konoha's history, even surpassing the Yondaime._

_End Flashback_

'Hn, pray you do not betray ZAFT a second time Athrun Zala as this time I am part of ZAFT,' thought Naruto coldly.

**Captain's Office**

"So, the Chairman has not only assigned you to the Minerva, but made us both members of FAITH. I have to wonder what the Chairman is thinking assigning three members of FAITH to the same ship," said Talia as she eyes the FAITH pin that had been given to her.

"Ma'am, I know this may be off subject, but I was hoping you can tell me what happened with ORB," said Athrun hopefully.

"I wish I could tell you exactly what is going on, but I am afraid that not even I know what has truly happened. As far as I know, ORB signed a treaty with the Atlantic Federation, but now there are several rumors going on that Cagalli-sama was kidnapped by the Freedom," replied Talia with an apologetic smile.

"I see," said Athrun as he stared at the ground in anger when he heard that Cagalli had been kidnapped from her own wedding. He understood that she had been in an arranged marriage with Yuuna, but he had hoped she would have accepted his proposal to her before he left for the PLANTs and not go through with the wedding. It hurt to know that she hadn't and almost gone through with the wedding if it weren't for Kira kidnapping her. He didn't say anything more and took his leave, not even noticing Naruto as he entered the room because he was so lost in his thoughts.

"We have been given orders to report to Suez," said Naruto to the surprise of Captain Gladys.

"Why would they be sending us to Suez? They do realize that we are not a ground battleship?" asked Talia.

"This is a direct order straight from the Council and Chairman. You will be taking this on as your new appointment to FAITH. Once the repairs finish, they want us to leave and we will have one Bozgorov submarine class ship as an escort," reported Naruto.

"Very well, I will have Arthur alert the crew so that they are prepared to leave by tomorrow morning," saluted Talia. Naruto just nodded his head before taking his leave and decided to go check on Epyon.

**Archangel**

"So you are saying that you were attacked by a group of special ops from the PLANTs who were trying to kill Lacus?" said Cagalli with a confused look on her face.

"Yeah, we still don't know why they were after her, but it seems Chairman Durandal isn't as benevolent as we all thought," replied Andrew as he took a sip from his coffee mug.

"I see, I want to apologize for the way I have been acting lately. If I wasn't so weak I would have never let Yuuna and the others sign that treaty with the Atlantic Federation," apologized Cagalli as she clenched her fist in anger. She was surprised when she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Kira smiling at her.

"It isn't your fault and besides we will find a way to correct this. The important thing is you're safe and that you can rectify what happened by staying alive," smiled Kira. Cagalli just hugged Kira tightly and nodded her head in agreement.

"I think I found out why they were after me," said Lacus before bringing up what she was looking at on the large monitor. Everyone watched with different expressions on their face as it showed someone who looked exactly like Lacus performing a concert while at the PLANTs.

"What does this mean?" muttered Murrue through narrowed eyes.

"I don't know, but whoever this Chairman Durandal is, I don't trust him," glared Kira as he watched what was happening with a hint of anger.

**Break**

"Captain Roanoke, it is an honor to have you aboard," saluted Lieutenant Han.

"Lieutenant, I hope you received my message earlier telling you to inform the frontline base to end out all their mobile suits as we will be going against the Minerva and Bozgorov class," said Neo as he approached the man.

"Yes sir, they were reluctant at first, but I told it was a direct order from you and that the Gaia would be staying behind to protect them and they eventually agreed," replied Lieutenant Han.

"Good, because this time I want that ship to sink to the bottom of the ocean along with the rest of its crew," grinned Neo.

"Prepare my Windam and have the Chaos, Abyss, and Gaia ready to launch. I want to end this quickly," ordered Neo before leaving the bridge. Lieutenant Han just saluted before relaying the orders.

**Minerva Hangar**

"Commander," saluted Athrun as he entered the hangar to see Naruto staring up at Epyon like he always seemed to be doing.

"Hn," said Naruto with a small glance at him before dismissing him.

"Err, listen I know we fought against each other in the first war, but I was hoping to ask you a question that has been bothering me for quite some time," said Athrun nervously.

"I don't know," replied Naruto not bothering to look at Athrun. Athrun just blinked confused, but before he could ask what he meant by that, Naruto spoke again.

"You wish to ask me why I saved your life and the answer is, I don't know," said Naruto as he turned to face the young man.

'How did he know what I wanted to ask him?' thought Athrun surprised. Naruto didn't say anything more, but didn't have to as alarms started to go off signaling that they would be going into battle.

"Hn," said Naruto before heading towards Epyon while Athrun headed over to the Savior. Athrun didn't want to fight, but he wasn't going to just sit around and do nothing while others were put in danger. If fighting is what he had to do to help this war end quickly then he would fight.

**Minerva's Bridge**

"Captain, we are detecting over fifty Windam heading in our direction," relayed Arthur with a grim expression.

"What? I wasn't aware there was an Earth Alliance base around here," said Captain Gladys through narrowed eyes.

"We are picking up no signs of base nearby, but there is a carrier about a mile or two off the island's coast from us," said Meyrin.

"Ma'am, just received word, the Chaos is among the Windam," yelled Arthur.

"Damn, have all our mobile suits right away. Tell Athrun he is in charge of this battle and ask Commander Uzumaki to try to scout for any base nearby," ordered Captain Gladys as the bridge started to lower.

"Yes ma'am," saluted Arthur before relaying the orders.

**Battle Over the Indian Ocean**

"Shinn, remember don't head too far out," ordered Athrun as they headed towards the approaching Earth Forces.

"Yeah I know," grumbled Shinn, annoyed that he had to take orders from Athrun.

"Commander, have you picked up any signs of a base?" asked Captain Gladys as she appeared on his screen.

"No, but I have the ZERO system calculating the possible coordinates of any hidden bases where they could launch these Windam from. Requesting permission to leave the area to search for the base in designated coordinates," said Naruto before drawing his heat rod then avoiding several blasts from approaching Windam mobile suits.

"Permission granted, just don't take too long Commander," said Captain Gladys.

"Hn," replied Naruto before closing the link and going into the clouds to disappear from the enemy mobile suits vision.

The Windam's fired into the cloud recklessly as they prepared for Epyon to take make its move. They saw Epyon's heat rod burst out of the clouds and the three Windam all dodged in different directions. Epyon burst out of the clouds and cut the Windam on the far right in half right through the cockpit with its beam saber before twisting its wrist and destroying the other two with a single swipe of its heat rod. Naruto noticed that the Impulse was fighting the rest of the Windam while the Savior fought with the Chaos.

'They are hiding the Abyss,' thought Naruto knowingly, as he transformed into his mobile armor form and took off in the direction of an island about a mile away.

Epyon had calculated that a base would be located in this vicinity and knew that the ZERO system was never wrong when it came to making calculations. As he flew over the area, he could sense many people on the island, but was forced to do a barrel roll to avoid several beam blasts before he could scout any further. He looked down to see the Gaia taking aim at him and transformed into his mobile suit form.

"You're the bastard that tried to kill Neo, I will make you pay," glared Stella as she fired several more shots at Epyon.

"The Gaia, designed for close-range and ground combat. Let's see how well you match up to Epyon who specializes in those areas as well," said Naruto as he drew his beam saber and prepared to engage the Gaia.


	15. Chapter 15

"Die," yelled Stella as she fired at Epyon. Epyon easily dodged the attacks as it drew its beam saber, powered it up, and then charged at Gaia.

Stella tried to keep Epyon at bay with her beam rifle, but her eyes widened in horror when Epyon ducked right under a beam at point-blank before swinging its beam saber in an upward arc. The beam sword sliced right through Gaia's beam rifle before it spun around and delivered a swift kick at Gaia. Gaia quickly used the shield in it's left hand to block the kick, but was still sent skidding back from the power behind the blow.

'Pilot has good reflexes,' thought Naruto as the Gaia pushed him off before transforming into its mobile armor form. He quickly put away his beam saber and drew his heat rod as the Gaia ran on all fours around him before opening fire at him.

"Bastard, why won't you die," cursed Stella angrily, as Epyon jumped into the air to dodge the blasts. She was quickly forced to jump to side as Epyon swung its heat rod at the spot she was just in.

Gaia responded by activating the beam blades on each of its shoulders and charging at Epyon at full speed. Epyon landed on the ground and quickly had to jump backwards as two shots hit the spot it was in less then a second ago. Naruto's eyes narrowed as Gaia leapt at him before he had time to regain his bearings with its beam blades ready to cut him in half at the waist. That tactic might have worked against an average mobile suit, but Epyon was far superior to any mobile suit when it came to maneuverability. The pilot of the Gaia learned this the hard way as Epyon shot forward right under it, but not before grabbing both of its hind legs and dragging it into the air.

"Ahhh!" screamed Stella as her Gundam was swung around at rapid speeds before it tossed at the ground with incredible force. She screamed in pain as her arm slammed up against the side of the cockpit and a loud snapping sound was heard.

Epyon gave her no time to catch her breath as it used its heat rod to wrap around the body of the Gaia. Naruto then used all of his mobile suits strength to whip it into the air. Stella's started to shake in fear as the heat rod retracted and Epyon came at her with its beam saber drawn, ready to finish the job. If it were for the fact that she was able to twist her Gundam at the last moment she would have been destroyed, but managed only to lose the beam blade on her right shoulder, which forced her to transform back into the mobile suit form.

"No way, Stella doesn't want to die," yelled Stella as she drew her own beam saber and charged at Epyon recklessly. The power and skill that Epyon had shown had awakened her fear of death and now she was fighting without thinking about her actions.

'Hn, how disappointing,' thought Naruto as he parried her beam strike then used Epyon's superior strength to push Gaia back.

"No, Stella wont die, Stella wont!" yelled Stella hysterically, as she pushed Naruto off then transformed into her mobile armor form then ran away like a dog with its tail between its legs. Naruto frowned at the Gaia as he watched it completely head away from battle leaving its comrades behind, but didn't bother to give chase as that wasn't his mission.

He quickly located the earth Forces Base, but didn't bother to send the coordinates to the Minerva as he noticed the Impulse had disobeyed orders and had broke away from the Minerva to play the hero. Naruto shook his head at the boy because he still didn't realize that war was not something that he could waste time trying playing hero. It was a serious matter and though saving those people were admirable, he could have always saved them after they had finished driving off the enemy.

**Minerva**

"Ma'am, Commander Uzumaki has sent a message saying that he has detected a large carrier about a mile away that the Chaos, Abyss, Gaia, and that Windam retreated to. He wishes to know if you want him to pursue it or not," reported Meyrin.

"No, have all our pilots return to the ship. We have already loss our escort ship and the Impulse and Savior are running low on power. I rather not lose anymore comrades by acting hastily," said Captain Gladys.

"Yes ma'am," replied Meyrin before sending out the orders to all mobile suit pilots.

"How was Commander Uzumaki able to find there base so quickly went we couldn't pick up anything on our radar until we reached within a half-mile of the base," wondered Arthur.

"His unit has a built in A.I. system called the ZERO system, according to the disk he gave me when we first met. This system is more advanced then any other piece of technology ever made and allows him to calculate infinite scenarios and other details when he activates it," explained Captain Gladys.

"An A.I. system?" muttered Meyrin with a hint of confusion. She had never heard of such a thing being used before in a mobile suit and would have to ask her sister about it.

"Wow, I wonder why they haven't built more of those things," said Arthur surprised.

"That is something you will have to speak with the Chairman with as I don't know the answer to that question either," said Captain Gladys.

**Minerva Hangar**

Naruto had just exited his Gundam and was about to take his leave when he saw Athrun and Shinn glaring at each other with a small crowd surrounding them. If he was anyone else, he might have been curious to why the two were glaring at each other, but as it was he couldn't give a damn. They had just better move out of his way because he didn't feel like listening to them argue.

"What do you think you were doing out there?" asked Athrun angrily. Shinn just remained silent, but glared defiantly at Athrun.

"Do you think war is some game where you can play hero?" yelled Athrun.

"Those people needed help," argued Shinn, but eyes went wide when he saw Athrun's hand about to hit his face. He closes his eyes and braced himself for the impact, but when nothing happened he opened his eyes he saw Commander Uzumaki had stopped Athrun's hand.

"A traitor has no right to criticize others when they disobey orders," said Naruto with a slight narrowing of his eyes before releasing Athrun's hands.

Everyone quickly saluted the Commander before leaving the area quickly so they weren't reprimanded next. Naruto didn't say anything more before brushing past Athrun. Shinn just glared at Athrun one last time before brushing past him as well. Athrun just watched them leave, but didn't say anything more. Luna watched the whole thing happen and waited until Commander Uzumaki and Shinn left before approaching Athrun.

**Naruto**

"Hey, I didn't need your help back there," yelled Shinn as he caught up with Naruto. Naruto stopped walking before glancing back at the boy with an impassive expression on his face.

"Hn," replied Naruto before he continued walking as if he didn't even hear the boy.

"Damn him, thinking he is so much better then me," glared Shinn as he clenched his fists in anger as he watched Naruto's back. He would show that man he didn't need his help if it was the last thing he did. The delusional boy failed to realize that Naruto could care less about him and didn't stop Athrun because he wanted to help him. It was just something he did because he didn't like to see a traitor talk to someone else about going against orders as it was hypocritical.

Naruto quietly made his way to the bridge, as he wanted to find out how far away from the Mamahul Base they were. He reached the bridge to find Captain Gladys and Arthur going over some logs before looking up at him when they realized he had entered the bridge.

"Commander," smiled Talia.

"Captain, how far away from the Mamahul Base are we?" asked Naruto getting straight to the point as always.

"Hmm, according to our map about a day away at tops and I will inform the whole crew when we reach there. We will be receiving a beacon from them once we enter their waters, which will give us permission to dock," replied Talia.

"Hn, I am requesting permission to upgrade the ZAKU Warrior piloted by Lunamaria Hawke," said Naruto to the surprise of Arthur and Talia.

"What? Why?" spluttered Talia before regaining her composure.

"The girl specializes in using the Gunner Pack and having her play a support role to Epyon would increase the overall efficiency of both our units in battle. I could use the ZAKU Phantom if you like as well, but I would still need to upgrade the cockpit to handle the program I wish to install," explained Naruto. The woman still didn't know that the only reason Lunamaria was assigned to the Minerva was because he told the Chairman a long time ago to pair him up with a ZAKU Gunner should he need the support. He doubted he would run into any unit on the Earth Forces that could pose a threat to him since those Phantom Pain pilots were too messed up to pose any threat, but he did not wish to underestimate the power of ORB especially, with rumors of the Freedom kidnapping Cagalli.

"Well, if it is ok with you Commander, I would like to run this by both them. I think it would be best if they knew what was going on before just being hurled into it," said Talia. Naruto just nodded his head before taking his leave of the bridge.

"That was interesting," blinked Arthur.

**Break**

"Chairman," said Naruto as he sat in his cockpit. He had received a message from the man the moment they docked in ZAFT's base in Mamahul. It had interrupted him when he was examining the ZAKU Warrior, but knew it must be important, at least to the Chairman, or he wouldn't have contacted him when they were slowly but surely making their way to Gibraltar Base.

"Naruto-san, it is good to hear from you again. I wish to know how everything is going aboard the Minerva," smiled Durandal.

"The ship is fine," replied Naruto, knowing that wasn't the real reason Durandal had contacted him.

"Ah, never the one for small talk are you Naruto-san? Very well, I guess I better get to the point of why I truly have contacted you," sighed Durandal with an amused look in his eyes.

"I have read over your reports on how the Phantom organization operates and I believe if they are truly as influential as you say then they will continue to attack you all. I was thinking of sending another unit to the Minerva, but wanted your opinion before I did so," explained Durandal.

"Adding another unit would increase our numbers, but might make the already pathetic team efficiency, worse. There is already strife between Athrun and Shinn, as it seems the boy doesn't like taking orders from others. He believes he deserves the position of giving out orders due to his recent rise in skill," said Naruto.

"Hmm, that is troubling as I hoped those two would learn to work together. It seems Shinn might still hold a grudge against Athrun for being a part of ORB instead of staying with ZAFT," frowned Durandal.

"I have requested to upgrade the ZAKU Warrior, but Captain Gladys seems to be against the idea. I would like permission to go through with it anyway despite her misgivings otherwise," said Naruto.

"Of course, in fact, that might be even better then adding a new unit if you start to train Rey or that girl to be better pilots," smiled Durandal. Naruto frowned slightly at that because he didn't like what the Chairman was implying, but knew he would have to train Luna or Rey somewhat depending which one of their units he upgraded.

"Well, now that we have that settled I will see you all when you finally reach Gibraltar," said Durandal before closing the link.

'Hmm, which mobile suit should I upgrade Epyon? The ZAKU Phantom piloted by the clone of Rau Le Cresset or Luna's ZAKU Warrior?' thought Naruto with a contemplative look in his eyes.


	16. Chapter 16

"Commander, sir, you wanted to see me?" asked Luna with a hint of nervousness. She couldn't recall anytime that the Commander had personally requested to see anyone and she was worried she had done something wrong.

The Minerva had just managed to take out another Earth Alliance Base yesterday and the very next morning she gets a request to meet her Commander in the hangar. At first she was hoping it was Athrun, but then saw Naruto there waiting for her next to her ZAKU. She kind of felt bad because she had been so busy trying to get Athrun's attention lately, that she completely forgot about Naruto and her promise to get to know him better. The man had saved her life and she just blows him, but then again, he was probably happy to not have her bother him constantly.

"I have added a new program upgrade to your ZAKU that I want you to become proficient with using," said Naruto as he pressed the up button once Luna stepped onto the lift.

"What? You have been messing around with my ZAKU?" exclaimed Luna with a bit anger. How dare he mess with her mobile suit? That was like entering through her private things without permission in her opinion.

"Yes," replied Naruto, not in the least bit concerned about her tone of voice. He gestured for her to enter the cockpit, which she did, but not before glaring at him lightly.

Luna sat down in her cockpit and started up her mobile suit. Everything looked the same, but then when the screen came on there was an extra program called the ZERO. What the hell was the ZERO system?

"What is this?" asked Luna curiously.

"The ZERO system is a high-powered combat super computer capable of transmitting situational information, statistics, and battle data directly to the pilot's brain through direct interface. The one I have programmed into your ZAKU is an upgraded yet water-downed version of the one used by Epyon and Wing Zero," explained Naruto.

'No way, this is the A.I. system that Meyrin must have been talking about,' thought Luna with wide eyes.

Meyrin had told her, Shinn, and Rey what she had heard about the Commander's mobile suit in hopes of learning more about it from them, but none of them, including Rey knew about such a system. Shinn called a useless piece of equipment, but she and Rey knew that it must incredibly powerful if it couldn't be replicated by any ZAFT techs. Now she finds out that her Commander put one in her unit, but the question was why?

"I don't understand, why would you give me this?" asked Luna with a slight frown. She was happy to be trusted with such a powerful device, but there had to be more to it.

"Tell me everything you know about my mobile suit," ordered Naruto impassively. Luna just blink before she started to tell him everything she knew about Epyon.

"The name of your Gundam is Epyon and it specializes in close-range combat. It is without a doubt the fastest mobile suit ever built and probably has better maneuverability then any other mobile suit as well," started Luna.

"It is made out of Gundanium alloy, which is 3xtimes stronger then Phase Shift Armor, which is used on all other Gundam models. This allows it to take extensive damage and still fight at full capacity, but the downside of Epyon is that it possesses only two main weapons that can both only be used for close to mid-range combat. The first weapon it can use is a Heat Rod that is able to extend to incredible lengths. The Heat Rod can reach temperatures so high that it can severely damage and possible even cut through Phase Shift Armor," paused Luna to catch her breath.

"The second weapon that Epyon uses is a beam saber that is directly linked to its core reactor allowing it to become longer, thicker, and more powerful then any average beam saber. Epyon can also employ the claws over each hand as weapons as well to tear through its enemies, but needs to be extremely close to them to do so," finished Luna.

Naruto was impressed because the girl's knowledge on his mobile so was almost completely accurate. The only problem was she left out the last weapon he was able to use with the Epyon, but that was mainly because she had just learned about the ZERO system.

"Everything you said was true, and now can you tell me why I would upgrade your ZAKU with the ZERO knowing what it can do and my range of abilities with Epyon?" asked Naruto.

Luna had a contemplative look in her eyes as she thought about everything she had just said and where in it would explain why she was given the ZERO. It didn't take long before her eyes lit up in understanding and shock at what it could imply.

"If the ZERO system can truly do all the things you claim it can then I could use it to provide better protection to the Minerva and support for you with my Gunner pack. The Gunner Pack provides me with incredible long-range possibilities, which would ideally be a perfect support for your Gundam," gasped Luna. Naruto just nodded his head at the girl and she started to stumble over her next words.

"Commander, I am deeply honored, but you are practically the best pilot in ZAFT. I doubt even Shinn or Athrun could even touch you in there Gundams despite your disadvantage. Why would you need my help?" said Luna.

"I was not sent here to be the main combat specialist. My main goal is to protect the Minerva at all costs, and I can not do that alone when we keep facing increasing large number of forces," said Naruto seriously.

This was the main difference between his fighting styles with the Earth Forces compared to his style with ZAFT. When he served with the Earth Forces he had traveled with a large fleet and didn't have to worry about protecting his ship because there were plenty others that could be assigned specifically for that job. This meant he didn't have to use the ZERO system except when he faced an opponent like the Freedom and Justice because of the _seeds_ Athrun and Kira possessed.

Since joining ZAFT and being assigned to the Minerva, Naruto had to keep the ZERO system activated during the whole battle even when facing opponents who stood no chance against him even without it on. The reason he had to do this is that Luna and Rey's mobile suit could not fight unless in space or solid ground. They were both forced to stay on the deck of the Minerva, which severely limited their movements and made them open targets for any that broke the line. Naruto had to use the ZERO to tell him the battle patterns so the Minerva would take minimum damage as Shinn and Athrun would be fighting the stolen Gundams while he fought the rest of the damn forces. There was only one battle that he didn't have to activate it and that was the last battle because they had a large escort of ships assisting them.

He was growing tired of the damn visions that Epyon kept showing him so to lower the amount of time he spent with the ZERO activated, he had installed a version of it in the ZAKU Warrior. Naruto only hoped that Luna was prepared to do some serious training to master it to the degree that would prove beneficial in battle.

"I understand, and I will try my best to perform well sir," smiled Luna, as she couldn't wait to start learning how to use this system.

She had always hoped that she could receive a Gundam like the Impulse or Savior, but knew the chances of that were slim to none. Now she was getting the chance to train under the best pilot ZAFT had and with some luck, she might be able to learn enough to fight on an equal level with any Gundam with her ZAKU. It was an opportunity she wasn't going to waste and looked forward to. If she only knew the hell Naruto was going to put her through then she might have regretted being so anxious.

**Captain's Office**

"Rey, it is nice to see you. How are you?" smiled Captain Gladys. Only the Chairman and maybe Naruto, because the man seemed to know everything, knew how close she and Rey were despite the fact they never showed it in public.

"I am well Captain, but I wish to speak with you about a matter that has reached my attention," saluted Rey before relaxing.

"Oh?" asked Talia curiously.

"It has come to my knowledge that Commander Uzumaki has performed an upgrade on Lunamaria's ZAKU Warrior. I mean no offense, but I believe that my mobile suit is better suited for that particular upgrade," said Rey. He really didn't care that he wasn't picked, but knew he could learn more about the man if he added the ZERO upgrade to his ZAKU Phantom, which is why he was hoping to get it switched to his mobile suit.

"I know what you are talking about and when I was informed by the Chairman a few days ago that Naruto would be given permission to do such a thing, I requested he add the upgrade to your mobile suit. I am afraid though, that I can not order him to do anything because he still outranks me despite my new FAITH status and the final decision was his to make. He seems to believe Lunamaria's ZAKU will be better suited for such an upgrade and there is nothing we can say to change his mind," said Talia with an apologetic look.

"I understand Captain," saluted Rey before taking his leave with an upset look in his eyes.

**Minerva Hangar (Two Hours Later)**

"Your reaction time is too slow, and you are still taking too long to fire your shots," criticized Naruto as he looked down at Luna who was breathing heavily.

Luna didn't even have the strength to reply or glare at her Commander as she was trying to prevent herself from passing out. She had never imagined that it would be this hard to do a mere targeting exercise. At first she was doing well, any time a coordinate would pop up she would instantly shift to the proper position and take out the target, but then Naruto activated the ZERO system and it went from easy to hell. The ZERO was able to pinpoint the location of every target within moments and even pointed out the ones she should take out first. The only problem was that when she took too long to get into position the ZERO system would point out a different target that came more of a threat because of her slow reaction time and she was forced to try to eliminate the new threat. It was absolutely crazy and in the end, she ended up failing several times without even coming close to succeeding.

'How the hell is he able to use such a system? Wait a minute, didn't he say this was a water-downed version?' thought Luna before she realized exactly what that meant.

"I see you finally understand the true power of what I have installed into your ZAKU," said Naruto impassively.

"There is no way, no Coordinator on Earth would be able to handle such a mental strain, and you're a Natural. It just isn't possible," panted Luna in disbelief.

"It is true, I highly doubt anyone can master the ZERO within Epyon or Zero, but the one I installed into your ZAKU is another story. One merely needs to possess a strong mind to master this upgrade. Be prepared because tomorrow you will face the same exercise," said Naruto before taking his leave.

'I can't wait until the Minerva docks,' thought Luna, but then another thought entered her mind that caused her to shiver. She had hoped to get the chance to brag about the new upgrade to her mobile suit to her friends, but she was just so damn tired and didn't have the energy. Perhaps later, when she had taken a nice nap and regained her energy then she would start bragging.

**Diocuia's Port**

The Minerva had finally arrived at the ZAFT port base Diocuia, though they still had a ways to go to reach Gibraltar Base their main destination. It was still a much needed rest from all the fighting they had done lately and the crew looked forward to their vacation, some more then others.

Diocuia was a beautiful city, and reminded Naruto of ORB, but much smaller in size and population. Naruto planned on enjoying the scenery, but sensed two very familiar presences and looked up into the sky. Two mobiles followed be a large carrier were landing in the Base and one of the mobile suits was painted pink while holding a very beautiful girl with long-flowing pink hair. He instantly recognized her as the girl that had came to see him every day for two weeks before disappearing to do whatever the Chairman had planned for her.

Meer Campbell, which was her name if Naruto remembered correctly, who had her genes altered or some type of cosmic surgery to transform her into an identical copy of Lacus Clyne at least in the looks department. She looked to be happy, which is rare because he had only ever seen her truly happy when she came to visit him. Otherwise, she was also sad and depressed as if he had an awful life.

'Hn,' thought Naruto before turning around to meet with the Chairman as he had better things to do then worry about some young woman with identity issues.

He passed by Athrun and noticed that Luna and Meyrin were standing extremely close to him as he watched Meer sing. From the look in the boy's eyes, Naruto could tell he knew the girl's real name, but was merely acting as if she was the real Lacus Clyne. This caused Naruto's eyes to narrow slightly as the boy had once again betrayed his friends because he doubted he told the true Lacus what was really going on with her fake. No doubt, they would be quite upset with him when they learned he not only joined ZAFT, but also knew about this fake Lacus all along.

'Athrun Zala, I did try to warn you not to join ZAFT,' thought Naruto with an emotionless look in his eyes before disappearing into the shadows.

**Chairman**

"We are honored to have you here sir," bowed one of the many Commanders respectfully.

"I am glad to see everything is well here despite all that has happened. I would like to speak with you all more later on the status of the base, but excuse me," smiled Durandal. The soldiers just saluted him and let the Chairman through as he made his way over towards Naruto who was walking towards him.

"Chairman," nodded Naruto as he stood in front of the man.

"Naruto-san, I am glad to see you made it this far in one piece," chuckled Durandal, but Naruto just remained as impassive as ever.

"I see your sense of humor hasn't changed much, but I guess that would be hoping for too much. Anyway, let's get down to business, were you able to find out any information on Logos the current division of Blue Cosmos that has been instigating this entire war?" said Durandal as they headed towards a large mansion in the distance.

"No, I never worked for Logos so I never cared for what they were doing. The most I can tell you is about the Phantom Units they are using. I have already sent you all the data on how the Phantom Units operate and what they are specifically trained in," answered Naruto.

"I guess that will do for now, but I was hoping to learn more about the individuals who ran Logos," said Durandal with a slight frown.

"Chairman," saluted Talia as she approached the man with Rey at her side. Rey seemed to glare at Naruto because he was hoping to speak to the man who was like a father to him alone, but Naruto was ruining that. Talia was feeling the same way, but knew now was not the time to show such emotions. They both didn't realize that Naruto knew plenty about their relationship and could care less about it.

"I will be taking my leave," said Naruto before brushing past Talia and Rey without so much as a glance.

"Thank you again for all your help Naruto-san," smiled Durandal, but Naruto didn't bother to turn around.

On his way out, he passed by Luna, Athrun, and Shinn who had arrived courtesy of a limo. Durandal was no doubt going to tell them about Logos and Blue Cosmos involvement in instigating the war then use that to further manipulate them. He had no doubt the man would succeed in doing it as well because he was a master charmer. The only one who had a mind enough to not fall under his complete was Lunamaria, but that was because she didn't have any personal grief influencing her decisions like Shinn and Athrun. Luna was also more level headed then those to fools as well in Naruto's opinion, which worked in favor for him. Though girl did seem to have an infatuation with men who were in positions of powers, which is why she followed Athrun around like a puppy at times so she might fall under the Chairman's manipulations. Oh well, it didn't concern him in the least so he wouldn't let it bother him.

**Break**

"Where are we going?" asked Naruto. He had been hoping to spend his time going over some logs in Epyon, but Luna had begged him to come with her this morning to get some breakfast, but so far they were no where near getting breakfast.

"I was thinking we could have Athrun join us," smiled Luna. The truth was that she was still upset at what happened after the meeting she had with the Chairman when Lacus had showed up and immediately latched onto Athrun. It was as he completely forgot she was there and she was not happy about that. She would never admit that she was incredibly jealous, but decided to pay him back and hoped he would get jealous when he saw her with Naruto.

Luna started to sweat nervously as Naruto's piercing blue eyes bore into her own as if he knew that he was using him. She only hoped he wouldn't reprimand her or anything like that because the training with him lately had been hard enough as it is.

"Hn," replied Naruto as he stepped into the elevator with the girl. He knew what the girl was doing, and knew he should probably tell the girl that Athrun would care less who she was with seeing is how he was in love with that Cagalli girl, but allowed Luna to have her delusions. It was not his business and as long as he eventually got breakfast, he would go along with it.

"I think this is his room," said Luna as she knocked on the door. She waited patiently and frowned because she could swear it sounded like more then one person was in the room. The girl was about to knock again, but stopped when the door opened and a familiar girl wearing a very revealing pink nightgown stood in the doorway.

"Can I help you?" asked Meer curiously.

"Um sorry, I thought this was Athrun Zala's room, not yours Lacus-sama," spluttered Luna apologetically. Meer's eyes narrowed as she immediately noticed the way Luna said Athrun's name and didn't like it. She was about to say something when she looked past Luna and saw a familiar person leaning against the wall and staring at her with a blank look.

"Naruto-kun," said Meer with wide eyes. She didn't even realize Athrun coming up behind her or anything else as she stared into Naruto's eyes and felt like dirt as she realized what she was wearing. This was not the way she wanted to see Naruto again and wished she was invisible to avoid his piercing gaze.

"Hn," replied Naruto as he stared back at the girl, with a bit of a disapproving look before his eyes returned to their usual impassiveness.


	17. Chapter 17

Luna was in a foul mood and Naruto made sure to keep his distance from the girl as she vented her anger in a non-violent manner much to his relief. If there was one thing he had learned not to mess with in his immortal life was a woman when she was venting. Women didn't tend to think rationally when they were extremely upset, but then again neither did men, but women were so much more violent in Naruto's opinion. So he kept his distance as they headed down to the local restaurant to get some breakfast.

They had just left Athrun's room after Luna realized that they had gone to the right room and that Meer, or Lacus, had spent the night there. Luna had immediately jumped to the conclusion that Athrun was seeing Meer on a personal level, but Naruto knew better. He knew that Meer probably was attracted to Athrun on a physical level, but she was mostly doing her job, which is why Meer treated Luna the way she did. Meer feared that her cover would be blown so made Luna think she and Athrun were closer then they were. It was sad really, but who was he to judge anyone on what they did with their life?

"Ugh, I can't believe I ever liked that guy," grumbled Luna as she took a seat at a table and Naruto sat down across from her. A few seconds later, a waiter came by and took their orders before leaving while Luna continued to grumble.

"Anyway, it seemed like Lacus-_sama_ knew you as well. What was that about?" asked Luna as her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I met her while at Armory One," said Naruto. Luna just huffed before leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed across her chest.

"I guess I shouldn't be mad, I mean they are engaged, but that doesn't mean I forgive him," sighed Luna. She had really hoped she could develop something between her and Commander Zala, but it seems she was wrong. How could she compete with the great Lacus? Luna was very confident about her looks, but compared to Lacus who was practically a goddess she knew her chances were slim to none. The woman was rich, famous, and everyone in the PLANTs loved the woman and she was just Luna.

"They are not engaged, it was cancelled during the first war when Lacus was officially declared a traitor and Chairman Zala renounced the engagement of his son to the girl," said Naruto, causing Luna to look at him surprised.

"How would you know that?" asked Luna curiously.

"I was the top assassin in the Earth Forces, it was my job to know everything about ZAFT's higher ups to better locate and eliminate them," replied Naruto impassively. Luna paled a bit at hearing that and started to fidget nervously before calming down, as she already knew her Commander had once been part of the Earth Forces. It was just a little unnerving to realize that the man who was the top pilot in ZAFT was also the person who is responsible for assassinating influential members of ZAFT and the PLANTs.

"Um, stupid question, but have you ever succeeded in taking out anyone in the ZAFT council or been sent to kill Lacus-sama?" asked Luna nervously. Naruto just stared at her with his piercing gaze, but didn't say anything, but didn't have to as Luna realized the answer to her question.

"Never mind, that really was a stupid question," said Luna sheepishly, before smiling in delight when their meals were delivered. Naruto was about to dig into his own meal when an unfamiliar voice interrupted him and made him glance to his side.

"Commander Uzumaki, it is an honor to meet you, I am Heine a fellow member of FAITH," saluted the man with short orange hair. Naruto just nodded his head at the man before returning to his meal.

"Sir," said Luna as she stood up and saluted the man. Heine smiled at the girl before telling her to be at ease, as he didn't come to disrupt their meal.

"I don't know if you remember this, but I met you a few times during the First War," started Heine before Naruto interrupted him.

"Yes, you're squadron ignored the warning I gave you all not to enter Earth Territorial Space and I was forced to engage you all, destroying 75 of your forces before you all withdrew," finished Naruto as he wanted to eat his meal in peace. Heine's blinked before sighing with a small smile on his face.

"That is correct, it was a very humbling day for many of us as over twenty GINNs were taken down by one Mobius Zero," admitted Heine.

'He was able to take out twenty GINNs with just one Mobius Zero!' thought Luna with wide eyes.

"I know we may have fought on different sides during the first war, but I hold no grudge against you. I greatly respect your skills as a pilot and hope I get the chance to fight alongside you in the future," smiled Heine.

"Hn," said Naruto, but didn't get to say anything more when Athrun and Meer entered the restaurant and headed their way.

"Commander," saluted Athrun at Naruto and Heine.

"Commander Uzumaki, do you think I could speak with you?" asked Lacus nervously. Everyone except Naruto looked at her in surprise because she was willing to leave Athrun to speak with the ex-Earth Forces soldier.

"Very well," nodded Naruto, as he knew he couldn't refuse a request from _Lacus_.

"I will see you later Athrun," said Lacus with a forced smile before quickly catching up to Naruto who had already headed for the doors. She didn't realize that she had raised Luna's ire at her even more.

**Naruto & Meer**

"Naruto-kun," yelled Meer as she quickly caught up to the man. Naruto stopped walking and turned to face the young woman. Meer fidgeted nervously under his gaze because she didn't know whether the man hated her or not for what she did to him.

"You wished to speak with me?" said Naruto calmly.

"Yes, I wanted to say I'm sorry," whispered Meer softly.

When she was in Armory One she was all alone and had no really to talk to or anything. Then she met him that day in the park and even though he didn't have to, he spent time with her. For two weeks, even when he was busy, whenever she came to visit him, he would stop what he was doing and spend time with her. He had become her first and practically only true friend within the two weeks she spent with him, but then she had to go back to learning to be more like Lacus and she left without even saying goodbye. After all, he had done for her, what kind of friend was she to just leave suddenly without any explanation?

"We all have our duties, I do not fault you for doing yours so there is no point in apologizing," replied Naruto.

'I should have expected such a response from him, he is always so cold, but still,' thought Meer with a large frown.

She looked up to see Naruto look over her state of dress and once again, she fidgeted nervously. When they were in Armory One she never dressed so exposed, but now that she was Lacus she wanted to make it so people kept coming to her concerts even if it wasn't for her songs. Though having Naruto look at her like that made her wish, she had worn something more conservative as it was like he was telling her that she didn't need to be so revealing to be beautiful. He always did have a way of making her feel so much better, about who she was then rather then who she wasn't and couldn't stop herself from feeling like she was disappointing him with all this change she had undergone.

"I know this may seem sudden, but since you are here I was hoping we could maybe spend some time together like in the past," smiled Meer hopefully.

"I have much to do, and I am sure you do as well," said Naruto. Meer just sighed and held back the tears that wanted to fall because she should have known this would happen. It was really her own fault for not being a good friend, but she had hoped he would have forgiven her.

"The Minerva will be docked in this port for a week before it takes off again. When I have some free time I will visit you if you are still here," said Naruto before turning his back and taking his leave. He never saw the beautiful smile on Meer's face as he walked away along with light blush that followed it.

Naruto just walked away with a slight frown because he could not understand why he agreed to meet with the girl during his free time. Maybe it was the sad look on her face or the lonely look in her eyes that reminded him of his own loneliness when he was little, but whatever it was he blamed Epyon. It seemed those damn visions were succeeding in awakening emotions that he had buried long ago. He really needed to do something about that damn mobile suit before it caused him to start caring again.

**Elsewhere in Doicuia**

"What's your name?" asked Shinn as he looked over at the girl he had saved from drowning. He still couldn't believe that she had fell off the cliff because she didn't realize she was dancing to close to the edge.

The girl had short blond hair and was wearing a blue dressed that really brought out her eyes. She was very beautiful, but she didn't seem to be very smart. In fact, she looked familiar to Shinn, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before.

"Stella is Stella," replied the blond-haired girl. Shinn just shook his head at the girl because it seemed she really was mentally unstable and worse yet they were both stuck down her until someone came to pick them up. He could just imagine the look on Athrun's face when he had to tell him why he used his emergency alert signal.

"I'm Shinn," said Shinn. What he didn't realize is that the girl would awaken feelings in him that he never thought he had.

**Minerva**

"Damn it, why can't I get this?" cursed Luna as she panted heavily. She had been trying to master the ZERO for the past three hours and every time she had failed without even coming close to succeeding. It just didn't make sense because she knew she was doing everything right, but for some reason her reaction time was too slow.

'Is it my mobile suit or is it me?' thought Luna angrily.

"The problem is you," said a familiar voice. Luna looked up surprise to see Naruto looking at her while his arms were crossed across his chest.

"Commander," said Luna before looking to the side. She wanted to tell him she was trying her best, but knew that was no excuse for her failure. The Minerva was about to take off in a day or two and there was no excuse for lack of improvement with the ZERO system.

"Stop using your eyes and trust the ZERO to guide you," said Naruto as he snapped her out of her thoughts.

"I don't understand," replied Luna confused.

"Every time you are given a target you always take the time to look at what you are shooting. The ZERO system would not have you target an ally, but you still waste precious time making sure it is an enemy. This is why you are failing," pointed out Naruto.

Luna frowned at that because now that she thought about it, she realized he was speaking the truth. It wasn't her reaction time that was off or her positioning, but she did spend time checking to get a good look at what she was targeting. This gave her target time to move and break out of her lock-on. She doubted if she could break such a habit because unlike her Commander, she didn't like the idea of putting her full faith into a machine because it could possible deem an ally a threat depending on the situation.

"I am sorry sir, but I do not know if I can put my complete faith in the ZERO like you want. I will continue to try to master it in a way that I am comfortable with that is all I can promise," apologized Luna.

"Your eyes can be fooled and you will have to learn to rely on pure instincts alone at times when that happens. I will allow you to continue to use the ZERO, but I will not give you permission to use it in battle until you have mastered it to my satisfaction," said Naruto before taking his leave of the girl.

'I will master it, I promise you I will,' thought Luna with a fierce determination burning in her eyes.

**Naruto & Meer**

"I heard the Minerva will be departing tomorrow," said Meer with a sad look in her eyes as she walked next to Naruto.

This past week had reminded of her days at Armory One and she could honestly say she was happier spending time with Naruto then pretending to be Lacus. How ironic, she finally receives her dreams of being loved by everyone and singing in live concerts, yet she would throw it all away just to spend time with the coldest man she had ever known. Perhaps, that was because everyone loved her for being someone she wasn't and with Naruto she didn't have to be anything other then herself.

Naruto wasn't caring, he didn't talk much, and he always had an emotionless look in his eyes that showed no love for anything that went on around him, but he made her happy. He listened, spent time with her, and didn't ignore her like so many others did. This made Meer feel a drawn to him because despite his cold exterior he was kind to her. She didn't know why that was, but maybe it was because he seemed to understand her pain of loneliness and that is why he was so kind to her and came to see her whenever he had free time like he said he would. Meer wished she could show him how much she appreciated him being her friend and forgiving her for what she did to him in Armory One, but just didn't know how to bring up the subject.

"Yes," replied Naruto as he stared up into the beautiful blue sky.

"I guess this will be the last time we will get to talk for awhile," frowned Meer as Naruto glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.

"I just wanted to say thank you for forgiving me and coming to see me everyday. I have enjoyed our time together and I wish you didn't have to go," said Meer as she shifted nervously. Naruto didn't say anything at first, but when he saw that sad look in her eyes he finally decided to speak.

"I find your presence soothing and enjoy speaking with you," admitted Naruto, causing Meer to blink before a large, beautiful smile broke out on her face.

"Be safe Naruto-kun, I don't want this to be the last time we meet," whispered Meer as she stopped walking causing Naruto to stop as well before turning to face the young woman. He just nodded his head, but didn't say anything and was completely caught off guard when Meer hugged him much to his surprise.

'I knew you couldn't be as emotionless as you act Naruto-kun,' smiled Meer as she saw his eyes widened a bit before she released him.

"Bye Naruto-kun, stay safe," blushed Meer before walking off. Naruto watched her disappear into the distance before heading to the Minerva. He had forgotten what it felt like to be in contact with another person like that and it had awakened something in him. In fact, he reached into his uniform and pulled a familiar feather, except this time instead of just one, there were two.

'What does this mean?' thought Naruto as he stared at the two feathers with a confused look in his eyes.

**Minerva**

"Captain, all the crew, and pilots are aboard the ship," reported Arthur.

"Good, let everyone know that we are taking off, as it is time to continue on our way," ordered Captain Gladys.

"Yes ma'am," saluted Arthur before relaying the orders to the crew.

"We will need to be extra careful as there are several reports of increase activity by Logos and the Earth Forces in the direction we are headed," said Captain Gladys with a hard look in her eyes.

"The Earth Forces won't be the only thing we have to worry about," said Naruto as he leaned against the wall.

"What do you mean sir?" asked Arthur curiously. Captain Gladys wanted to know what he meant as well, but Naruto didn't seem to hear the man as he continued to look out over the ocean before taking his leave of the bridge.

"I know he is one of the best, but I really do hate when he does that," mumbled Captain Gladys with a shake of her head.

**Black Sea**

"Captain," saluted the lieutenant as Neo entered the bridge.

"Lieutenant, tell me have the ORB forces we requested to back us up shown up?" asked Neo curiously.

"Yes sir, they have sent word that they are currently on way with three carriers to help us, but sir. Why have we asked them to come all the way out here when we have significant forces here already?" asked the Lieutenant.

"Why waste our forces when we can use someone else to do the dirty work for us? That country did sign the treaty to be our allies so instead of having them sit there and doing nothing, we have them show us that they are truly worth the trouble," replied Neo with a smirk.

"Of course sir," said the Lieutenant.

"Let me know when the ORB forces arrive and keep an eye out for that ship, the Minerva. I want to know immediately when they appear on our radar," ordered Neo as he wanted his revenge against the Minerva for escaping him twice already.

"Yes sir," saluted the Lieutenant as Neo left the bridge.

**Break**

The Minerva had finally reached the Black Sea and was heading right for the trap set up for them by Phantom Pain. The ORB forces were also waiting for them as well and the Minerva would be hard pressed to come out of this next battle intact.

"Captain, we are detecting multiples ships about two miles away from our current position," said Arthur.

"What? Who are they?" demanded Captain Gladys.

"Ma'am, they appear to be ORB ships along with several Earth Alliance Forces ships. The ORB forces have just started to launch their mobile suits, but no movement from any of the Earth Forces ships," reported Meyrin.

"Lower the bridge and issue a Condition Red. I want the Savior, Impulse, and Epyon to launch immediately. Have Rey and Luna on standby until the Earth Forces make a move," ordered Captain Gladys as she cursed her luck.

"Yes ma'am," replied Arthur before hastily issuing the orders.

**Minerva Hangar**

"I can't believe they are actually attacking us. I swear I will destroy them all," glared Shinn. He had just learned a few moments ago that not only had ORB appeared on their radar, but had launched their mobile suits against them.

Shinn wasn't the only surprised by this turn of events because Athrun had similar thoughts going through his mind as well, except he didn't want to harm anyone from ORB. ORB wasn't his enemy and he didn't know if he could fight against them at all.

'Cagalli, how could you allow this to happen?' thought Athrun with a frown, as he prepared to launch.

"Epyon Launching," said Naruto before he took off and was the first one to leave the ship.

'Don't disappoint me, because I will be waiting for you,' thought Naruto as he landed on the deck of the Minerva and stood there calmly. He didn't even bother to help the Savior or Impulse as they fought off the attacking ORB forces.

**Minerva's Bridge**

"What is Commander Uzumaki doing out there?" cursed Captain Gladys.

"I don't know ma'am, he isn't answering his communications, but the Savior and Impulse seem to be holding off the ORB Forces just fine," reported Meyrin.

"Incoming missiles," yelled Arthur.

"Evasive maneuvers and fire the wombats along with the anti-depth charges," ordered Captain Gladys hastily.

**Battle**

The Minerva was successfully holding off the attacking ORB forces with little difficulty. Naruto continued to stand calmly on the deck of the Minerva and his eyes were closed as he sat in the cockpit of Epyon. The sounds of battles that went off all around him didn't bother him at all and he continued to ignore the attempts of the Minerva to contact him through his comm. link.

Athrun wasn't as calm as Naruto because he was having trouble fighting the ORB forces as he refused to go for any killing blows. He kept shooting at spots that would disable and prevent them from fighting any further, but he just didn't have the aim that Kira did when it came to doing such a thing. It was really pushing him to his limits because he still couldn't understand why the ORB forces were attacking them.

Shinn on the other hand didn't seem to have any problem with destroying as many ORB mobile suits as possible. He seemed to even take some delight in destroying them, but that was not too surprising because he did blame them for the death of his family, especially his little sister who he loved dearly.

It wasn't long before the Minerva had managed to get the upper hand and Captain Gladys ordered for them to fire their Bow Gun upon the ORB ships. Shinn and Athrun quickly cleared out of the way, but the latter, had wanted to yell at them not to fire but remained silent. Just as the Minerva was about to fire, a beam blast from above pierced right through the Bow Gun causing it to exploded and dealing heavy damage to the Minerva. Everyone fighting stopped what they were doing and looked around in shock for the new enemy.

"So you came after all," said Naruto as he looked up into the sky to see the Freedom arrive. Epyon's eyes glowed in anticipation, as it would finally have an opponent that would pose as a worthy challenge to its power. A shiver went down everyone's spine as they couldn't stop the feeling that something terrible was about to be unleashed by Freedom's arrival.


	18. Chapter 18

"Kira," spluttered Athrun, as he stared at the Freedom while the Archangel came up from behind it.

Why was he here and why did he attack the Minerva? These are just some of the many thoughts that crossed Athrun's mind while he stared at the Freedom.

Everyone on the battle had stopped what they were doing and no one made a move even as the Archangel launched a mobile suit. The ORB forces easily recognized the Strike Rouge as it carried the crest of the Attha Family and a familiar voice appeared on every channel. Naruto quickly ran over some information not bothering to attack yet as he checked over a few things.

"Attention, I am the representative of the ORB Forces Cagalli Attha," announced Cagalli from within the Strike Rouge.

All the ORB forces were stunned because they had not seen or heard from Cagalli since she was kidnapped by the Freedom. Yuuna on the other hand, was angry as he listened to the girl request that all ORB Forces stand down because this went against their ideals. He knew that if this continued then his own military would turn against them and then the Earth Forces would sink the ship with him in it and he was not ready to die.

"I am ordering all ORB Forces to stand down and pull back. What are you doing goes against the ideals of ORB," demanded Cagalli. She was about to say more, but screamed in pain when a flash of metal knock her backwards.

Kira turned his head quickly and flew right in front of Cagalli right as Epyon appeared in front of him.

"Attention Archangel, if you do not leave this battle immediately, I will declare you a threat to the Minerva, and move to eliminate you," announced Naruto with absolutely no compassion for the real reason why they came here.

**ORB Forces**

"Sir, is that really Cagalli-sama?" asked the lieutenant of the ORB ship.

"No, it must be some imposter. The real Cagalli-chan would never order ORB to do such a thing when we are allies with the Earth Forces. Order all of our forces to target the Archangel and destroy it if they should continue to fight against us," said Yuuna hysterically. He had to act quickly or the Earth Forces would think they are breaking out of their alliance by not fighting any further.

The two ORB officers looked at Yuuna grimly as they could tell the man was scared of the Earth Forces turning on them, but he was the ruling representative ORB now so they had to listen to him. They soon gave the order to all the ORB forces that the Cagalli in the Strike Rouge was an imposter and to continue their assault on the Minerva and should the Archangel interfere attack them as well. Unfortunately, the ORB forces were still listening to the broadcast of Cagalli as the Freedom protected her and the Archangel from Epyon should it attack them.

**Earth Forces**

"Sir, Representative Yuuna has ordered his forces to continue their assault on the Minerva and is requesting that we assist them should the Archangel interfere," said the Lieutenant.

"This situation is to our advantage now that the Minerva is damaged. Have all our forces attack the Minerva," ordered Neo with a large smirk.

"Hai," replied the Lieutenant before giving the orders.

**Minerva**

"Captain Gladys, launch all our mobile suits immediately, and don't bother with the Archangel. Should the Freedom, Strike, or the Archangel make any aggressive move against our forces I will engage them," ordered Naruto leaving no room for argument.

"Hai, Meyrin have Luna and Rey launch immediately and protect the Minerva from the deck," ordered Captain Gladys.

"Incoming Abyss and Chaos with a large number of Windam," yelled Arthur.

"Evasive maneuvers have Athrun and Shinn focus all their attention on protecting the Minerva. Tell them they are not to engage the Archangel or Freedom at any costs. Commander Uzumaki said he would deal with them if they engaged us and I have no doubt he will," ordered Captain Gladys as she gritted her teeth in anger.

**Battle**

'Hn, seems we will have to battle some other time Freedom. The Minerva comes first,' thought Naruto, as he took off at full thrust towards the ORB Forces.

The ORB Forces stood no chance due to their current confusion. Naruto attacked them before they could regroup and regain their bearings, as they were confused from the earlier message from Cagalli. Anyone else might have left them be, but Naruto was raised a ninja, and a ninja took advantage of every opportunity especially during a war. ORB had attacked them first so he was merely making sure they couldn't continue their attack.

"Kira, we have to stop him," yelled Cagalli, as she knew exactly who was in that Gundam decimating the ORB forces. Damn that man, he was once again killing off her people as if they were nothing but mere objects in his path.

"I will try my best," nodded Kira as he charged towards Epyon.

'Hn,' thought Naruto, before destroying two more ORB units then spinning around to parry the Freedom's beam strike with his own beam saber. Kira's eyes widened in surprise because he couldn't believe how fast the pilot had reacted to his presence.

'Your faster then before, but what about the rest of your skills,' said Naruto as he pushed the Freedom back then flew up to dodge the rail beam cannons shot at him by the Freedom.

"This Gundam, its fighting style is familiar," mumbled Kira as he struggled to keep up with Epyon's incredible speed.

The two powerful Gundams crossed blades again, but it was easy to see that the Freedom was struggling to keep up with Epyon. Naruto glanced at one of his rear monitors and realized that the Minerva was in trouble. The Abyss and Chaos were taking up Athrun and Shinn's attention. That left the Gaia and the Windams the perfect opportunity to attack the Minerva head on, which they were capitalizing on. Rey and Luna were stuck on the deck so their options were limited so Naruto had to stop playing around with the Freedom.

"Next time Freedom," said Naruto before delivering a swift spin kick to the Freedom's chest then taking off towards the Gaia and remaining Windam.

"He's leaving, no, he's going to help the Minerva," said Kira. Kira knew that if he wanted to stop the ORB forces from being destroyed he was going to have to take out all the major players on each side and force them to retreat. With that thought in mind, Kira headed off in the direction of the Minerva as well and started to lock-on to as many units as he could.

"Die," yelled Stella as she charged at the Minerva on all fours with her beam blades on either side of her shoulder activated. She might have succeeded too as Rey and Luna were busy with the attacking Windams, but an unexpected attack from above destroyed the beam blades on her back before sending her tumbling across the ground.

"You bastard, this time Stella will kill you," growled Stella as she glared at Epyon, before transforming into her mobile suit form.

'Still letting your anger cloud your movements,' thought Naruto unimpressed, as he watched the Gaia charge at him with its beam saber drawn. Right as Stella was about to cut him in half, Epyon raises it's hand, and grabbed Gaia's arm, stopping it from completing its motions.

Stella's eyes widened in horror as Epyon's eyes seemed to be staring right at her through her monitor. Epyon drew back his fist and made to slam its claws right into the head of the Gaia to disable it permanently, but quickly used the Gaia as a shield as several beams came at him. The Gaia took the beam hits instead before Naruto tossed the Gundam aside to parry the beam sword from a new Windam that had showed up.

"Looks like we meet again Red Gundam," grinned Neo as they broke apart and he took aim at Epyon.

'This pilot seems familiar,' thought Naruto as he dodged the shots and drew his heat rod. Neo grinned as flew up into the air and started to rain down shots upon Epyon. Epyon quickly shot up into the air and used it head rod to grab the gun out of the Windam's hand then toss it into the ocean. He didn't worry about the Gaia because the Gundam couldn't leave the coast or it would drown in the ocean.

"You're good," admitted Neo as he struggled to keep up with Epyon. If it wasn't for his spatial awareness skills he was sure that damn heat rod that seemed to be able to stretch to unlimited lengths would have destroyed his mobile suit by now.

'Mu La Flaga,' thought Naruto through narrowed eyes. He recognized the way the man fought and dodged because he had fought besides the man once and his skills in a Mobius Zero had impressed him greatly. The only thing that confused him was that last time he checked Mu La Flaga was not part of the Phantom forces. In fact, the man had been part of the Archangel crew during the last war so what was he doing here?

The two were about to reengage combat, but Naruto and Neo were forced to move out of the way as the Freedom attempted to disable them both with its beam sabers. The Freedom went right by them and straight down to the Gaia where it sliced off the Gundam's arms in one single swipe.

Naruto looked around to see not only had the Gaia been disabled, but the Chaos, Abyss, Impulse, and most of the Earth Forces. It seemed the Freedom wasted no time in taking out everyone without killing anyone so as to prevent further battle.

'Hn, you have grown much,' thought Naruto as he retracted his heat rod because this battle was over.

Neo ordered a retreat and the Freedom headed back to the Archangel. Naruto didn't bother to go after it because if he did then the Minerva would truly be left unprotected as the Savior was the only working mobile suit besides his and it was extremely low on power. He could feel that Epyon was angry at not going after the Freedom, but was calmed down when Naruto promised that it would get another shot at Kira and the Freedom in the near future.

**Port Talquis**

The Minerva had managed to make it to the Sea of Marmara and currently docked at one of their bases within that area. It had suffered a great deal of damage and wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. The Minerva wasn't the only thing that needed repairs, but all their mobile suits as well, except for the Savior and Epyon.

Naruto didn't bother with all the details and let Captain Gladys deal with the ship's repairs while he stared up at Epyon. He was trying to pacify his Gundam because Epyon had been wanting to battle a worthy opponent for some time now. This was not to say the pilots of the Gaia, Chaos, and Abyss were weak, but they just didn't possess the experience or skill to keep up with someone like Naruto or Epyon.

Further thoughts were interrupted when an angry Athrun had finally decided to approach Naruto.

"You knew didn't you," said Athrun as he glared at Naruto. Naruto turned to face the young man, or boy if compared to Naruto's age, and looked at him with a bored expression on his face, probably one of the few times he showed emotion.

"No, but I suspected the Freedom would show up," replied Naruto.

"How could you just suddenly suspect the Freedom and Archangel would show up? What signs were there to predict such a thing?" demanded Athrun.

"Hn, my objective is to protect the Minerva. I plan for _everything_ with the help of Epyon," said Naruto as his eyes narrowed.

"You slaughtered a bunch of ORB units when they weren't even fighting," yelled Athrun.

"ORB has declared itself an enemy to ZAFT and attacked the Minerva first. By taking out 75 of their units I succeeded in preventing them from reengaging the Minerva and our forces," stated Naruto without a hint of regret.

Athrun glared at the ground because no matter how cold Naruto seemed, he was right. ORB had attacked them first and did reengage them even with Cagalli begging them to stop. The damage to the Minerva would have been far greater if Naruto hadn't struck first while they were still confused, but Athrun just didn't want to accept it at the time.

"You belong to ZAFT now and it is your duty to help protect the Minerva as well. The Freedom attacked us as did ORB and not the other way around," said Naruto before brushing past the boy.

'ORB, Freedom, and the Archangel did attack us first and the Commander was protecting the Minerva,' thought Athrun as he finally admitted to himself that his Commander truly did do nothing wrong.

ZAFT may have deployed its forces, but only in self-defense while the Earth Alliance and ORB had started to attack for no reason even when evidence had been shown that they helped try to stop Junius Seven. He needed to speak with Kira and Cagalli and tell them to stop interfering as they only caused more deaths because Naruto did not stop fighting just because everyone else did. Naruto would only stop fighting once given the order or when all threats against the Minerva had been neutralized.

**Captain's Office**

"Captain, you wished to speak with me?" asked Luna as she saluted her Captain. Luna had just got done calming down Shinn and wasn't really in the best of moods, but knew better then to ignore a direct order from her Captain. It was a rare occurrence when Captain Gladys wished to speak with her personally without Rey or Shinn so knew whatever this was about it was important.

"Hai, as you know Commander Zala has recently left the ship, but you don't know is why. The reason he left is to seek a conference with the crew of the Archangel," said Talia with a hard look in her eyes.

'Athrun-kun left to meet with the people who attacked us,' thought Luna in shock.

"Though Athrun is a member of FAITH and allowed to do as he pleases so long as he doesn't betray ZAFT, I still do not completely trust him. As he told me earlier, he was once allies with the Archangel and its crew so chances are he shares a type of bond with them. I can't risk having Athrun tell these people the full extent of the Minerva's abilities, which is why you are here," sighed Talia as she leaned back in her chair.

"What is it you wish from me ma'am?" asked Luna, not knowing how she could help.

"I want you to follow him and record any information on his actions that you can. Do not let him find out you are following him and should he attempt to betray us then kill him," ordered Talia. Luna's eyes widened, as she couldn't believe the mission she was just given.

**Athrun**

"Thank you for meeting with me," said Athrun, before taking a seat across from a familiar looking brown-haired girl.

"I am surprised you knew I was in the area, but I wasn't exactly hiding my presence," smiled Miriallia.

"Can you get me in touch with Kira and the Archangel?" asked Athrun getting straight to the point.

"Hmm, well I did used to work on the bridge so I might know of way to contact them, but first you have to tell me why you want to meet with them. I know you are a part of ZAFT as I saw the battle the other day," said Miriallia.

"I see, but you don't need to worry. I merely wish to speak with them and that is all. I need to convince them to stop interfering because they are only bringing chaos to the battlefield and needless death," said Athrun with a hard look in his eyes. Miriallia could tell by Athrun's eyes that he really did wish to speak with them and nothing else so nodded her head.

"Alright, I'll get you in touch with them, but it will take a day at least so I will contact you tomorrow morning if they reply with a positive answer of wanting to meet with you," said Miriallia before getting up and taking her leave.

**Archangel**

"This is strange, we are receiving a message from somebody," frowned Murrue. Lacus, Kira, Andrew, and Cagalli all looked at her curiously because no one knew they were here except for the crew.

"Who is it from?" asked Kira curiously.

"Well what do you know, it is from an old friend of yours, I believe her name was Miriallia," answered Andrew.

"Miriallia?" repeated Kira surprised, as he hadn't heard from her in ages.

"Yes, it seems she is currently staying in the nearby town and has had a run in with Athrun. Apparently, Athrun wishes to meet you all, but she says he is has rejoined ZAFT," said Murrue as she read the message.

"Athrun is with ZAFT?" gasped Cagalli in disbelief.

"It seems that is why we have not heard from him so far," said Lacus softly.

"I think we should meet with him. If he truly is with ZAFT then he will be able to tell us what is going on with the PLANTs and the situation with the fake Lacus along with information on Chairman Durandal," said Kira.

"I'll be going with you, I want to see Athrun again as well to ask him a few questions," said Cagalli with a hard look in her eyes.

**Luna**

Luna had woke up early this morning and followed Athrun to a remote location. She was now currently staying on a cliff while Athrun met with some people she didn't recognize except for Cagalli. The small satellite device she had set up to better hear the conversation was all ready, but just as she was about to turn it on a hand stopped hers from hitting the button.

"This conversation is not yours to hear," said Naruto before crushing the machine under his foot and not even bothered by the sparks.

"Commander," gasped Luna with wide eyes. How did he find her and better yet destroy that piece of equipment without any sign of injury?

"Captain Gladys has overstepped her boundaries and I will talk to her once I complete my mission," said Naruto calmly.

"How did you find me?" asked Luna.

"I have told you before, my main job is assassination," replied Naruto as he kept his eyes on those down below. He could hear there conversation as if they were standing right next to him and once he was sure Athrun wasn't going to betray ZAFT he prepared to head off.

"You don't mean you are here to kill Athrun," spluttered Luna as she took a step back.

"No, for the moment Athrun seems to be loyal to ZAFT. I have come here for someone else," said Naruto before brushing past Luna without a second glance.

**Lacus**

Lacus had just finished taking a shower and decided to go outside the Archangel to wait for Kira and the others to return. She knew they were out speaking Athrun and was interested to hear what they learned from him. As she left the Archangel, she sensed something was wrong, and that the ship seemed to be a little too quiet.

She go to the surface and was surprised when saw a familiar man seemingly waiting for her. Lacus knew the man was now with ZAFT and had even attacked Cagalli and Kira in the last battle, but wondered why he was here and how he knew she would be here. Could it be he knew the Archangel was hiding here?

"Naruto-san," said Lacus as she stood a few feet in front of him. Naruto had his hands in his pocket and the wind blew through his spikey hair that seemed to defy gravity.

"Hn, you know why I am here," said Naruto. Lacus smiled sadly and nodded her head in response.

"Hai, and I thank you for sparing those within the Archangel," smiled Lacus.

"They were not my target, but I could not have them interfering," stated Naruto impassively.

"Either way, I am grateful," smiled Lacus with a grateful look in her eyes. Naruto stared into Lacus eyes and she stared right back the smile never leaving her face.

"I don't normally do this, but any last requests before I kill you?" asked Naruto calmly.


	19. Chapter 19

"I don't normally do this, but any last requests before I kill you?" asked Naruto impassively.

"Yes, I was wondering if you could tell me why you fight," asked Lacus curiously. Naruto seemed to frown a bit at this question, but covered it up so quickly that Lacus was unable to catch it.

"I fight, merely to fight," stated Naruto, but Lacus knew he was lying because something about the man let her know that he wouldn't just fight to fight.

"If that is the case, then why do you wish to kill me? I am not much of a fighter," said Lacus.

"I was ordered to eliminate Lacus Clyne if presented the opportunity. It is not that I want to, but am merely following orders," replied Naruto. Why was he indulging this girl? This thought was starting to plague his mind as he continued to answer and speak with the young woman.

"I see, but I don't understand why someone would want me dead. I am only trying to help bring peace that is all I have ever wanted," sighed Lacus.

"Peace is an illusion that those who can't accept the truth of the way things are, cling to in order to make themselves feel better," said Naruto harshly.

"What would make you believe something like that?" asked Lacus as she took a step closer to Naruto. Naruto looked up into the sky before surprising Lacus and himself with his next comment.

"I used to believe I could change the world and end all wars," said Naruto with a small twitch of his lips. Lacus remained silent because she didn't want to interrupt him when it looked like he was going to say more.

"Long ago, when I was a small child, I wished to be the leader of my village, and protect everything precious to me. It was my dream to be the greatest leader that my village had ever seen," whispered Naruto with a glazed look in his eyes, but Lacus heard him loud and clear.

"Over time, my dream started to change, and I didn't just want to protect my village, but everyone. I grew up with so much hate and bloodshed that I wanted to end it permanently with my own two hands. I wanted a world where there would be no more fighting and no more innocent people dying from foolish conflicts," sighed Naruto. "Eventually, after overcoming many obstacles, I became the leader of my village and brought peace. I created treaties with other villages, helped out those in need whenever I could, and peace reigned for about a decade."

"Then, like always, conflicts started to arise, and no matter how many peaceful solutions I came up with to end them people were always quick to resort to bloodshed to resolve there problems. It wasn't until almost all those close to me died pointlessly that I realized that the only way peace would continue to reign once more is if I stopped being nice," Naruto said as his eyes grew so cold that Lacus couldn't stop the shiver from running down her spine. "I brought peace back to my lands by quickly getting rid of all those who started conflict needlessly. I became a judge and executioner, which seemed to work, but after so many years, I grew tired of it. People would just find new ways to cause destruction and death, which is when I decided to not care anymore. Now I merely pick a side to fight on and fight for it, which has led me to accept one truth."

"What is that?" asked Lacus, but was scared to his hear his answer.

"The only way to achieve true peace is death. I guess you could say the reason why I fight is to one day achieve true peace, because it is only in death where one can finally be freed of conflict forever," stated Naruto.

"If you truly believe death is the only way to achieve peace then why did you save _millions_ of people during the Junius Seven incident?" asked Lacus. Naruto just reverted his eyes away from the beautiful woman and looked at the waves as the crashed against the shore. This caused Lacus to smile because even though he tried to hide it, there was still some of his old self in him despite his cold exterior.

'Why have I told this girl about my life? Why is it I have become so unsure of myself lately even when I fight?' thought Naruto with a bit of anger if the clenching of his hands was any sign.

"I was ordered to help stop Junius Seven from falling that is why I saved those people otherwise, I could have cared less," lied Naruto, but one couldn't tell as his face became impassive as usual.

"Is that so?" replied Lacus with a raised eyebrow.

"Hn," was all Naruto said.

"I am grateful that you told me about yourself, and I can tell by the look in your eyes that despite how hard you try to hide your emotions, they are still there buried deep within you," smiled Lacus. "I know you left out a great deal in your story, but I am still grateful. Thank you for obliging me in my last requests to get to know you a bit better."

Naruto stared at the young woman and slowly removed his right hand from his pocket to reveal a small, but deadly looking kunai. Lacus just continued to smile at Naruto and the ageless man stood there with a kunai resting in his right hand. He then raised his hand and flung the kunai straight at Lacus. The beautiful songstress merely closed her eyes, waited for death to come, but instead felt a small breeze, and opened her eyes slowly.

She looked down to see the kunai Naruto had thrown hovering over heart and Naruto on her right with his hand gripping the handle. Lacus didn't even bother to question how he could move so fast or anything like that. What she asked him did surprise him though.

"For someone who values loyalty and clings to it as the last line left in their life, why do you disobey the order to kill me?" asked Lacus curiously.

"Perhaps, I want to show you that your peace is merely illusion by allowing you to live to watch the world you love so much crumble around you," stated Naruto as he put the kunai back in his pocket.

"It is a world _you_ love too," smiled Lacus.

"Let us see what is stronger, your belief or mine when it comes to peace," said Naruto before walking away. Lacus watched him go even as Kira and the others showed up wondering why she was out by herself.

'I will show you that your peace is merely an illusion,' thought Naruto with a cold look in his eyes before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

He still didn't know why he had told the girl so much, but maybe it was because a part of him wanted to believe what she believed in so he told her his story in hopes that she could find a flaw in him adopting such a cold outlook on the world. Is that why he made that deal with her? Was he somehow hoping that she would find some way to show him how wrong he was by beating him when he became merely an emotionless machine? These were the last thoughts that ran through his mind before he banished them from his mind.

**Research Facility**

"What is this place?" asked Shinn. He and Rey were told to check out a military facility on a nearby island, but when they got there all they found an empty base with a bunch of folders and crap like that. It wasn't until they went deeper in did they find a bunch of left behind drugs, dead scientist, and large human sized tubes everywhere. Rey had gone into shock and Shinn was forced to alert Minerva right away to help his friend.

"I don't know, but it can't be anything good. From what we got so far it looks to be some type of experimental research place," frowned Captain Gladys.

"This is where they trained and created there perfect soldiers to battle Coordinators," said Naruto as he showed up out of nowhere.

"What?" gasped Arthur, voicing the question on everyone else's mind.

"They would bring kids here, mostly orphans, and train them. Those who passed the training were given drugs to enhance their abilities while the ones who failed were killed," explained Naruto.

"That's horrible, and they call us Coordinators monsters because of our genes," growled Shinn angrily.

"They believe what they are doing is ok just so long as they don't mess with the genes of the people, but in truth, what they do is actually worse because these drugs probably have horrible side-affects," frowned Captain Gladys.

"Ma'am, we have detected a mobile suit heading straight towards here and it looks to be the Gaia. The Savior is on the way to us, but we should have the Impulse launch just in case," panted Meyrin. Shinn didn't need to be told and quickly headed straight to his Gundam.

"If it is just the one unit have Athrun and Shinn capture it. Arthur, get a group of our crew and gather all the folders inside this place then take them aboard the Minerva. I want to get out of here as soon as possible before anyone else shows up," ordered Captain Gladys. Naruto started to set up the explosive within the compound as he and the Captain knew they couldn't allow the Earth Forces to use this facility in the future as some type of base or something else.

**Earth Forces**

"Captain, what are we going to do about the Gaia?" asked the Lieutenant.

"There is nothing we can do, by now she has either been capture or if luck is with us, destroyed," sighed Neo, as he hadn't expected Stella to run off like that. He would have to severely punish Sting for telling Auel and Stella about ZAFT checking out that facility.

The only good thing was that they had cleared away any information that would allow them to truly understand and realize what truly went on there. Neo only hoped that Stella went into shock quickly after she was captured so they couldn't torture any information out of her. Damn that girl for complicating matters and making his job so much harder then it had to be.

He didn't get to think any further when a beep sound went off on his laptop and recognized it as a message from his superior. It seemed Lord Djibril had some new orders for them.

**Minerva**

"Stella," whispered Shinn, as he stared at the girl being treated by the doctors. He had never expected that the pilot of the Gaia was the girl he had saved back in Diocuia. It had shocked him greatly, but he took comfort in the fact that she didn't fight willingly for the Earth Forces.

The girl was what they called an extended according to Commander Uzumaki and they were manipulated since birth to fight against Coordinators. Just thinking about what they did to her made Shinn angry and he wanted nothing more to destroy them all. He knew he would get his chance eventually, but right now he just needed to stay calm and wait until the repair to the Minerva were complete. Stella would received the best treatment possible from the doctors and with that thought in mind Shinn left to do some training.

"How is the girl?" asked Naruto. One of the doctors stopped working on her and turned to face Naruto with a small sigh. That little action told Naruto all he needed to know.

"Not good, when it comes to using drugs to enhance physical and mental capacity, the Naturals know more then we do. The most we can do is sedate her, but chances are she won't survive more then a week even with the best of treatment we can provide," sighed the doctor.

Naruto had expected as much as this wasn't the first time he had seen an innocent person manipulated to such lengths by the hands of others. He still remembered how Danzo recruited orphans from the age of one and turned them into his emotionless soldiers. It had to be one of the hardest things Naruto had to do when he had ordered the execution order of all ROOT personnel. All those men, women, and children were brainwashed so much that not even he could save them. For the protection of his people he had to eliminate them as they had been trained to attack the village should Danzo ever fall and Naruto just couldn't continue to let that man live. Death was the only thing he could offer those people because they were so loyal to Danzo that once he was gone they would start to mentally break down from his absence.

He knew that Shinn seemed to care for the girl, but if the boy didn't realize that the girl couldn't be saved then he would probably end up doing something foolish in the future. The only way this girl would ever truly escape her pain or those who manipulated her was through death because ZAFT would merely use her as a guinea pig to better understand what type of drugs they used on her. Either way, the girl would become a mere object no matter what side she was on.

'I wonder if you saw this, would you still believe that there is a peaceful way to save the girl or would accept my form of peace and grant the girl a quick death?' thought Naruto before leaving the room.

**Minerva Hangar**

"Damn it, I almost had it that time," panted Luna, as she slammed her hands down on her counsel. Ever since she had got back from spying on Athrun, which was interrupted by her commander, she had been training twice as hard to master the ZERO.

She could feel that her reflexes and awareness had increased greatly from all her training, but she was still had a ways to go before mastering the system. There was something more about the system then Naruto had let on, but what it was she couldn't didn't know. It was frustrating because she knew that she could master the system, but some outside force seemed to be getting in her way each time.

"Your progress with the ZERO is getting much better," said Naruto, as Luna exited her cockpit and landed on the ground. Luna quickly saluted Naruto before asking him a question about the system.

"Thank you sir, and I feel that I will soon have it master," smiled Luna.

"I am giving you permission to activate it in the next battle should you find the need to," said Naruto. Luna's eyes widened in surprised because she hadn't expected that.

"Yes sir, and thank you for trusting me," smiled Luna, as she took this as a sign that her skills as a pilot were increasing.

"Hn," replied Naruto before brushing past the girl to go check on Epyon. Luna watched him go before heading to her room because she needed to take a shower. She was all sweaty from all that simulation training and like most women, Luna hated smelling like sweat.

Naruto glanced at Luna as she left and if one looked closely, they would have seen a guilty look in his eyes before they became emotionless. Epyon's eyes flashed for a second before they became lifeless as well.

**ORB & Earth Forces**

"Colonel Tadaka, we will engage the Minerva, while your forces come up from this side of the ship," said Neo, as he explained the battle strategy.

"I understand, you wish to trap them in a pincer movement," realized Colonel Tadaka the one put in charge of leading the ORB Forces as Yuuna went back to ORB.

"That is correct, and don't worry about that unit coming at you all again. I will have the Chaos and Abyss keeps its attention so you can focus all your attacks directly on the Minerva," smiled Neo.

"This operation will be more difficult then it looks, but it must be done. The only worry I have is that if that strange ship, the Archangel, were to show up again, if it would stop you from following through with the operation," said Neo as he turned to face the ORB officers.

"We have been ordered that the person within that Strike Rouge is a fake so we will not listen to their words again," said Colonel Tadaka before reverting his gaze from his Lieutenant who was shocked by the statement.

"Perfect," smiled Neo in delight.

**Archangel**

"The ORB forces are moving at it looks like they are heading towards the Minerva," reported Miriallia.

"Damn it, we have to stop them," said Cagalli.

"I agree with you, but I want the Archangel and you as well Cagalli, to keep a good distance away from the battle," said Kira, to the surprise of everyone.

"Are you worried about facing Athrun?" asked Murrue curiously.

"Sort of, I am pretty confident in my abilities that should Athrun engage I will be able to hold him off, but that other mobile suit. That man, Uzumaki Naruto, his skills easily outclass most of what I can do with Freedom and if he sees the opportunity, he will destroy this ship or the Strike Rouge," said Kira seriously.

"I really hate that man," mumbled Cagalli angrily. Kira just flashed Cagalli a sad smile because he knew why she hated him so much.

Kira might have felt the same way if he had known Naruto had planned on killing Lacus, but the girl hadn't told him of their meeting before leaving the Archangel to find out more about Chairman Durandal. Lacus didn't want Kira to fight with hate filling his heart and knew he would try to strike down Naruto if he learned about the man almost killing her.

"Well then, we best get moving if we plan on trying to stop the ORB forces from fighting," said Murrue. The others nodded their heads and prepared for the upcoming confrontation.


	20. Chapter 20

**Battle of Crete**

"Damn ORB, I will kill them all," growled Shinn, as he launched from the hangar and headed right for the approaching Murasame Units.

"Savior launching," relayed Athrun with a hard look in his eyes. He hoped Kira and the Archangel didn't show up and interfere like last time or this time he would not hold back against them.

"Epyon taking off," said Naruto. His eyes held the same emotionless look they always did, but inside he was conflicted.

After the three Gundams had launched, Rey and Luna, had both used the lift to get their ZAKU's to the deck of the Minerva. It was their duty to protect the Minerva from any fire that managed to break past Athrun, Shinn, and Naruto.

Luna was trying to remain calm, but inside she was a bit nervous as she remembered she now had the permission to activate the ZERO system. She knew she was only permitted to activate it if she _needed_ to, but still, it was a lot of pressure. A part of her wanted nothing more to activate immediately to show the Commander she had what it took to use it in battle. The more reasonable part of her managed to calm her down and let her know that the ZERO system was not to be used to merely show off. It was designed to be used when the situation called for it and she would only use it when necessary.

"Minerva, they are preparing to launch Fragmentation Shells, clear the area immediately," ordered Naruto before kicking his thrusters up to full blast. He would destroy those Fragmentation shells before they got the chance to open up and shower the Minerva.

**Minerva**

"You heard the Commander, evasive maneuvers immediately, and tell Rey and Luna to prepare for impact," ordered Captain Gladys. She was extremely thankful that Naruto had ordered all mobile suits to launch before the ORB forces showed up on the radar otherwise, they would be sitting ducks right now.

"Ma'am, the Impulse has engaged the ORB Murasame units, while the Savior and Epyon managed to destroy the Fragmentation Shells before they got within distance to us," reported Meyrin.

"The Earth Forces are approaching us from our right, they are going to trap us," yelled Arthur in a bit of a panic.

"Damn it," cursed Captain Gladys, as she gritted her teeth in anger at the current turn of events.

"Captain, they have launched the Chaos and Abyss along with a small contingent of Windam that are heading right for us," said Meyrin with a worried look in her eyes.

"I will handle the Chaos and Abyss, have the Impulse and Savior deal with the rest," ordered Naruto, as he appeared on the screen before closing the link.

"Right, relay those orders to Shinn and Athrun to keep them focused on the ORB forces. Tell Luna and Rey that I want them to mainly focus on the Earth Forces while Commander Uzumaki deals with the Chaos and Abyss," ordered Captain Gladys.

**Battle of Crete**

"Come on Sting, this time we will finally destroy this damn ship," laughed Auel, but before he could get anywhere near the Minerva, he was forced to dodge to the side as a whip-like structure went through the spot he was in a moment ago.

"Damn, it's him," glared Sting, as he stared at Epyon that was blocking their path.

"This bastard, it is time we finally kill him," smirked Auel. The fins on the Abyss took aim at Epyon and fired four beams right at the Gundam. Epyon easily dodged under the beams and made to move towards the Abyss, but additional fire from Chaos forced it to change course.

'These extended are much better then the girl,' thought Naruto, as he weaved in and out of the shots. The Abyss and Chaos had managed to keep him on the defensive for the past five minutes, which was an amazing feat within itself as very few could keep Naruto at bay for a minute let alone five. What neither pilot knew was that Naruto had already come up with a plan to disable them, but was waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

"Distract him for a bit Sting," grinned Auel before changing into his mobile armor form and diving straight into the water.

"Just hurry up because I don't want to waste my time fighting this bastard all day," ordered Sting, as he continued to unleash a huge barrage of shots upon Epyon.

Naruto noticed that the Abyss dived under the water and could only sigh because it was incredibly foolish of them to think he didn't know what they were planning. He had been there when the three stolen Gundams were built and knew all their capabilities intimately. This is a mistake they would not get the chance to make twice, and quickly prepared to finish off this fight, but then a beeping sound went off and noticed that more ORB ships were coming at the Minerva from 9'o clock. He quickly ducked under several beams shot at him from the Chaos and floated slightly above the water.

'A pincer movement,' thought Naruto through narrowed eyes. If he didn't do something soon then the Minerva would not only take heavy damage trying to escape, but might even be destroyed.

"Got you," laughed Auel, as he burst out of the water right behind Epyon. The Abyss locked onto Epyon, opened all its weapon's panels, but right as it fired, Epyon cut off its thrusters, and melted right into the ocean. The beams passed through the spot Epyon was just in harmlessly and before Auel could react, a hand from under the water grabbed his Gundam's right leg and dragged him under.

"Auel!" yelled Sting in horror. He couldn't believe what he just saw because it just couldn't be possible. Epyon just slowly sunk into the water without so much as a ripple and then a clawed hand pulled the Abyss under.

Auel started to panic and fear started to grip his heart, as he couldn't break free and was pulled straight under the water. He was about to transform into his mobile armor form, but Epyon grabbed both fins from behind and ripped them off. The explosion damaged both of the Abyss's arms along with its thrusters.

"Ahhh!" screamed Auel, as his cockpit started to fry him and the glass on his helmet started to crack. He tried to move his Gundam, but right as he was about to try to escape, Epyon appeared in front of him. The boy just watched as Epyon plunged its beam saber right through the chest before kicking off the Gundam and watching it explode from a safe distance.

Sting gritted his teeth in anger and had his hand on the trigger ready to fire at Epyon came out of the water instead of Auel. A loud explosion occurred and a huge amount of water shot up into the air, blocking Sting's view for a mere second. The pilot of the Chaos barely responded in time when Epyon's heat rod came out of the middle of the rising water.

"You bastard, you killed Auel," yelled Sting before changing into his mobile armor form and unleashing a huge barrage of missiles and beams at Epyon as it burst out of the water.

'Hn,' thought Naruto. He was about to finish off the Chaos when another alarm went off in his cockpit and he looked over to see that the Archangel and the Freedom had arrived.

"Those bastards again, still trying to get everyone to stop fighting," glared Sting, as he listened to Cagalli beg ORB to stop, but they just ignored her.

"Commander, let me deal with the Freedom," said Athrun with a hard look in his eyes.

"If that is what you want, I do not have the jurisdiction to give you orders as you are a member of FAITH like me," replied Naruto, as he turned to face the Chaos.

**Luna**

Luna and Rey were charged with protecting the Minerva from any forces that managed to get by the Savior and Impulse, but with the involvement of the Archangel. The ORB forces didn't stop firing like last time, but actually redoubled their efforts. Already the Minerva had taken heavy damage and if it continued then the ship would be destroyed.

Luna was panting heavily as she took out as many enemies as she could, but there were just too many. Her ZAKU had taken some pretty heavy damage and would be destroyed if she and Rey didn't find a way to better counter their forces. That thought soon disappeared when she heard Rey's scream and looked over to see his ZAKU Phantom had been destroyed and she hoped he had managed to escape. Now it was up to her alone to find a way to counter the attacks or suffer the same fate as Rey.

"Sorry Commander, but I have no choice," panted Luna, before her fingers flew over to her counsel and activated the ZERO system. Instantly, Luna's mind was flooded with information and her ZAKU seemed to move on her own.

Cagalli who had been trying to stop the ORB forces from attacking the Minerva, quickly dodged to the side to avoid being hit by a powerful beam, and then watched in horror as over ten Murasame units were destroyed within moments. She looked down and stared in shock as the ZAKU warrior with the Ortho's beam cannon started to destroy the ORB forces with incredible accuracy. Her people were being destroyed, and she was about to try to shoot at the ZAKU to disable it, but it seemed to read her mind because it turned to fire upon her first.

"Die," yelled Luna, as she fired at the Strike Rouge. Luna didn't realize it, but the ZERO system was starting to twist her mind and the power was starting to corrupt her. An insane looked started to appear in her eyes and a smile started to split her face.

**Naruto**

"Die you bastard," yelled Sting, as he did everything he could to take out Epyon, but the damn Gundam kept dodging.

'Time to finish this,' thought Naruto, but right as he was about to draw his beam saber, he froze.

"Lunamaria," whispered Naruto, as he sensed the girl had activated the ZERO system. This was not good, the girl was still not ready to handle the ZERO yet, and if she kept it activated to long, it would drive her insane and she would start to target her own allies.

Sting saw Epyon pause, and was about to capitalize on the slight hesitation, but Epyon quickly transformed into its mobile armor form and took off back towards the Minerva.

"You running?" growled Sting, but honestly, he was inwardly happy at not having to face that Gundam any longer. Now he could help take out that other bastard who piloted the Impulse.

**Minerva**

"Nee-chan, Nee-chan answer me!" yelled Meyrin. The poor girl was starting to panic because the life signs coming from within her older sister's mobile were going haywire. Whatever was happening to Luna, needed to stop or the poor girl would go into shock.

"Captain, the Savior has been destroyed by the Freedom and Rey's ZAKU Phantom has been damaged beyond repair," reported Arthur grimly.

"Any word on the pilots?" asked Captain Gladys, who was only truly concerned over Rey.

"No word yet," replied Arthur apologetically.

"Ma'am, the Impulse has just engaged the ORB ships, and the Earth Forces are retreating along with the Archangel and Freedom. They left the moment the ZAKU Warrior managed to disable the Strike Rouge," relayed Meyrin, before continuing to get in touch with her sister.

**Luna**

"Ahhh!" screamed Luna, as she couldn't stop the ZERO from flooding new information to her. The battle was over, but she continued to receive information and it was driving her insane. Tears rapidly fell from her eyes and Luna just wanted it to stop because she couldn't take it anymore.

Her hand slowly reached for her gun that all pilots were given in case forced to abandon their mobile suits. She gripped it tightly and was about to turn it on herself to escape the pain, when she felt a hand touch her shoulder gently, but that couldn't be right. Luna looked at her monitor to see Epyon's hand on her ZAKU's shoulder and then the ZERO just shut down.

"You're safe," stated Naruto, as he appeared on her monitor. Just before Luna passed out, she could have sworn she saw a concerned look on her Commander's face, but that couldn't be right.

**Archangel**

"We failed," cried Cagalli, as she could still see the ORB ships being destroyed by the Impulse.

"Cagalli," said Kira before the poor girl hugged him tightly and he gently rubbed her back. He had done his best to stop the fighting, but there was only so much he could especially when he spent most of the battle fighting Athrun before finally defeating his friend.

**Minerva**

Naruto looked down at Luna with a guilty look in his eyes. He had surprised everyone aboard the Minerva when he had carried the girl to the medical bay. They were all surprised to see that Commander Uzumaki actually cared about someone that they were left stunned.

Of course, once they snapped out of their shock they all wondered what happened to the girl who had managed to save the Minerva practically all on her own after Rey's mobile suit had been destroyed. All they knew that she seemed to be suffering from extreme mental and physical exhaustion. The only one who knew what really had happened was Naruto and no one was brave enough to approaching the brooding Commander.

'You were right, it seems I still do have some emotions, but I almost sacrificed my own ally just to prove you wrong, when you were right all along,' thought Naruto with a guilty look in his eyes as he stared down at Luna.

What he didn't realize that by admitting this, he had a chance to be saved, but unfortunately, his own guilt was keeping him from realizing this. Epyon on the other hand sensed Naruto's guilt and if one looked closely, they could see that its armor seemed to be fading a bit. No longer did it glow a bright crimson blood red, but now it seemed to be dulling and on the wing-like structures even tiny miniscule spots of white appeared for a moment.

**Minerva's Bridge**

"Arthur, give me a status report on the damage," sighed Talia, as she sat in her chair.

"The damage is extensive, but not as bad as it could have been. Lunamaria Hawke, the pilot of the ZAKU Warrior, saved us from being completely destroyed. The Impulse also contributed a great deal as well by destroying the ORB ships," stated Arthur.

"Arthur, please try to stay on topic," smiled Talia slightly.

"Right, sorry, anyway, Rey's ZAKU was damaged beyond repair as well as Commander Zala's Savior. The ZAKU Warrior received medium damage and as did the Impulse, but like usual, Commander Uzumaki's Epyon received no damage and it even managed to destroy the Abyss," reported Arthur.

"Well that's good, but we have no choice but to dock here for a few more days to repair what we can. Even though we won, we still managed to get beat," sighed Talia.

"At least we are much closer to Gibraltar then before," said Arthur hoping to cheer his captain up some.

"Hmm, that is true, but with everything that has happened so far, who knows what will happen next," replied Talia with a slight frown. Arthur couldn't refute that comment because it was completely true.

**Break**

"Ugh," groaned Luna, as she slowly woke up and felt like someone had been hammering on her head. She soon realized that she wasn't in her own bed and slowly sat up so she could better look around the room. It didn't take her long to realize she was in the medical bay.

"Why am I here?" mumbled Luna before she suddenly gripped her head in pain as the memories came rushing back to her. Her eyes widened in horror and she soon wrapped her arms around her shaking body. She remembered activating the ZERO system and the thrill of power when she started to take out the ORB forces with incredible ease. They stood no chance as she easily analyzed their flying patterns and shot them down before they even came within range of firing upon the Minerva. The part that really scared was when she started to enjoy the power given to her by the ZERO.

It had always been one of her greatest desires to be recognized as a great pilot like Athrun or Shinn, and the ZERO made that possible, but it didn't feel right. Luna didn't want to be known as someone who took joy in destroying others. She knew that she had killed many lately, but never had she taken joy in it. This was the main reason she started to fight the ZERO system and almost shot herself to escape the pain.

"You're awake," said a familiar voice. Luna snapped out of her thoughts and looked up to see Naruto enter the room with two glasses of water. She gratefully took the one he handed her and drank it slowly.

"I am sorry about everything and thank you," said Luna with a hesitant smile.

"No," said Naruto, as he reverted his eyes away from the girl. Luna blink at the comment, but the next thing he said really surprised her.

"I am the one who is sorry. I should have never given you permission to activate the ZERO, but I let my anger at what someone said cloud my mind," apologized Naruto, as he stared into his reflection in the water.

"Commander," gasped Luna in surprise, because she had never seen him like this and didn't think anyone had.

"I put your life at risk and should you wish to file charges against me for negligence then I will gladly accept the punishment for my actions," said Naruto seriously. Luna was so shocked that she couldn't only stare at Naruto with wide eyes. She quickly snapped out of her shock when Naruto made to leave and yelled at him to stop.

"No, I mean, you did nothing wrong Commander. I believed I was ready to handle the ZERO, and if I hadn't used it in that battle I would have never realized how wrong I was. You saved me and I owe you my life," smiled Luna gratefully. Naruto stood in the doorway and had his back turned to Luna as the girl then said something that caused him to look at her curiously.

"If it is ok with you sir, I would like another chance at handling the ZERO, as I believe I can learn from my mistake and master it so something like that doesn't happen in the future," asked Luna with a hopeful look in her eyes. Naruto looked at her curiously before nodding his head.

"Meet me in the hangar in the afternoon and we will continue your training to properly use the ZERO system," said Naruto before leaving the room. Luna lied back down on her bed and rested her head on the pillow with a small smile on her face.

"Maybe the Commander does care about others after all," smiled Luna before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

**Later that Night**

'I have to hurry or I will get caught,' thought Shinn, as he quickly tried to escape the Minerva with Stella.

He had overheard the captain talking about how they wanted to deliver her to the PLANTs so they could study her like some guinea pig. There was no way Shinn was going to let that happen to the girl. Stella deserved better then that even if it meant him contacting the Earth Forces and returning her to them. At least with them, she would live and that was better then what ZAFT had to offer her.

Naruto would have normally stopped Shinn before he could even reach his Gundam, but he was having an internal conflict of his own and didn't feel like wasting time capturing some foolish boy. He just stayed in his room staring up at the ceiling and wondering why old emotions were starting to resurface. It was just like when he was aboard the _Dominion_ and it was something he was not looking forward to deal with again.

**Author's Note:** **Might be taking a break for awhile as Tgobg has been spending alot of time with my teenage son and I dont have it in me to break them apart. :) Anyway, on a side note, we have already outline the next two chapters after this one so even if Tgobg is busy I should be able to write the next two chapters from our notes, but I won't post them until he double checks them to make sure I didnt create any inconsistencies as I tend to do :P Thank you for the reviews, finally reached 100 w00t lol and hope you enjoy the future chapters.**


	21. Chapter 21

Athrun was making his way to the deck of the Minerva as he had been brooding ever since he had battle with Kira and his Gundam had been destroyed. He wasn't brooding because his Gundam had been destroyed, but more like thinking over what Kira had said to him during their fight. His words had reminded of him why he had turned against ZAFT during the first war and now he wasn't so sure he was fighting for the right side.

The Chairman spoke about peace and unity, but his actions of lately didn't reflect such beliefs. Athrun had reprimanded Shinn and Rey for what they did involving the escape of a prisoner and instead of them receiving any type of punishment they were let off scott free. It wasn't that Athrun had anything personal against the girl, but she was an enemy whether a willing one or not. By releasing that girl, he had returned to the Earth Alliance someone who had the power to handle a Gundam and potentially become a threat to them in the future. Shinn was foolish to believe they wouldn't try to involve her back in the war. Despite this fact, the Chairman had excused Shinn's actions and now the boy was walking around with a smug look in his eyes.

Further thoughts were interrupted when Athrun saw Commander Uzumaki already on the deck staring up at the clouds. This surprised him because he had thought he would be with Lunamaria as the two started to spend increasing more time together. Now that Athrun thought about it, Commander Uzumaki didn't act so cold anymore like he used to, and he actually seemed to be nice, but everyone still kept their distance from the man.

"Commander," saluted Athrun, causing Naruto to glance at him then nodded his head slightly at the young FAITH member.

"It seems we are both confused," stated Naruto much to the surprise of Athrun. He didn't expect the man to try to speak with him, but now that he was he felt maybe the Commander might understand where he was coming from.

"I remember you told me when I was with ORB not to join ZAFT and I am starting to wish I took your advice," sighed Athrun as he leaned on the railing.

"When I first joined it was to help bring a swift end to the rising war, but now everything has become so complicated. I used to believe that ZAFT was fighting merely to ensure peace, but it doesn't seem like that anymore. Now I am powerless to do anything," explained Athrun with a hint of anger.

"You are not part of ZAFT," said Naruto. Athrun looked at Naruto with a confused look on his face, but before he could reply, his Commander started to speak again.

"The Chairman didn't recruit you to join ZAFT, but to become a member of FAITH. FAITH is an organization separate from ZAFT that only takes orders from the Chairman as is free to exercise their own actions so long as it doesn't start an unnecessary battle or war with another country or nation," explained Naruto.

"What are you trying to imply?" asked Athrun as his brow creased in thought. Naruto didn't know why he was helping this boy, but maybe it was because Luna admired him or maybe it was some other reason. He would think about it later after he finished talking with the boy.

"If you wish to leave, then as a member of FAITH you can turn in your badge without suffering any repercussions as you do not serve as a part of the ZAFT military. All you would have to do is swear to never reveal any knowledge of what you have learned while on board the Minerva," said Naruto as he started to leave. He paused right before he got to the door and said one last thing that caused Athrun eyes to widen.

"It isn't too late for you to join your friends," whispered Naruto, but Athrun heard him loud and clear.

**Minerva Hangar**

Luna calmly sat in her cockpit and was going through another simulation, but unlike before, she wasn't having that much difficulty. Ever since, she had used the ZERO in battle, she felt her senses had increased, and especially her awareness. It was as if she could feel when she was about to be attacked and it was an exhilarating experience.

The only real problem with these new senses was that she had to learn to control her senses so that she didn't go crazy from them. The more she learned about the ZERO the more she was amazed at the abilities of her Commander. She had thought Athrun was an amazing pilot because he helped end the war at Jachin Due, but as of lately, he hadn't really impressed her. In fact, if she remembered correctly, her Commander had fought against the Freedom and Justice at the same time, and was still able to beat them. The man was just simply a god when it came to fighting in her opinion.

"Damn," cursed Luna, as she was destroyed because her thoughts had drifted off the simulation.

"Your mind is drifting," pointed out Naruto calmly. Luna just sighed before removing her helmet and glaring playfully at her Commander.

"I know, and it is all your fault," pouted Luna cutely. Naruto merely raised an eyebrow at that comment, but didn't say anything.

"Hey Commander, how come you didn't push for Shinn to receive some type of punishment for what he did? I thought you hated traitors," asked Luna suddenly.

"I had other problems to deal with lately," replied Naruto, not bothering to elaborate.

"Hmm, well, I know this may seem cold, but I think what Shinn did was incredible foolish. I understand he cares for the girl, but how can he trust them to take care of her after everything we have learned about Logos?" sighed Luna with a shake of her head.

"Sometimes, our emotions for our precious people cloud our mind to the truth," whispered Naruto.

_Flashback_

"_Sakura-chan, stop," yelled Naruto desperately. A beautiful woman with short pink hair turned around to face Naruto._

_Naruto had just got done killing Kisame and Konan, and was kneeling on the ground trying to catch his breath. He was now nineteen years old and possibly the strongest ninja in Konoha now that Jiraiya had been killed by Pain._

"_I'm sorry Naruto, but I love him," apologized Sakura._

"_Why? Why do you go to him after everything he has done to us? That bastard doesn't care about anyone other then himself," glared Naruto angrily, as he slowly stood up._

"_It isn't his fault, it is that cursed seal warping his mind, and I know if I go to him I might be able to save what is left of him," argued Sakura. Naruto clenched his fists in anger before he replied to the girl that he first loved a long time ago._

"_I know very well the effects of the curse seal as I am a seal master, which is why I am telling you he is lost," said Naruto calmly._

"_No, he isn't," yelled Sakura angrily._

"_Do you think this is easy for me to admit? I grew up all alone and always dreamed of having some type of family. You have become like a sister to me and Sasuke a brother, and I love you both, but it is time we both accepted the truth," yelled Naruto._

"_The Sasuke we know is no more and I can no longer let innocent people get harmed even if he is like a brother to me. Jiraiya-sempai once told me that the hardest thing a ninja had to do was make a decision against someone they love, but sometimes it has to be done. As future Hokage of Konoha I can't afford to let my personal feelings for Sasuke get in the way of my duty. The same is for you Sakura as you are a ninja of Konoha as well," said Naruto calmly._

"_I am sorry Naruto, but you are right so there is only one thing to do," whispered Sakura before using a kunai to create a slash mark through her headband. She was about to take off when Naruto's next words caused her to pause._

"_If you leave, don't ever come back. I love you, and I love Sasuke, but I will not let either of you harm any more innocent people. If I hear that either of you two have entered the borders of the Land of Fire I will come for you both and I will show you no mercy," promised Naruto with a hard look in his eyes._

"_Goodbye Naruto," said Sakura with a sad smile before taking off._

_End Flashback_

"I guess, but I still think giving that girl back to the Earth Forces is a bad idea," said Luna. Naruto just nodded his head, but remained silent while Luna started up another simulation.

**Earth Forces: Russia Base**

"How do you like the new weapon I have sent you Captain?" asked Lord Djibril with a smirk.

"It is impressive, but I can not hunt a ship like the Minerva with such a large unit," replied Neo.

"Forget about the Minerva for now. I want you to use that unit to quiet down the west as those damn Coordinators have started to take over things there, and it is starting to annoy me," smirked Lord Djibril.

"Hmm, very well, I have the perfect pilot in mind to use the Destroy Gundam," smiled Neo, as he thought of Stella.

"Good, and don't fail this time," said Lord Djibril before closing the link. Neo just leaned back in his chair with a small smile on his face before he got up to take a shower.

**Minerva**

Talia was not in a good mood and it was all because of that boy, Shinn. She understood that he seemed to care for the extended girl, but to injure members of the crew then take the Impulse without permission and contact the Earth Forces was unacceptable. What is worse, is that the Chairman excused him for his actions, and that just pissed Talia off. She liked the boy and was grateful for everything he did, but by letting Shinn off, he had become arrogant and started to walk around as if he was above the rules.

How did the Chairman expect her to control her own ship if he let Shinn get away with such stunts without any kind of punishment? Talia was really starting to question the Chairman's actions of lately. She didn't get to think any further on the Chairman's actions when Meyrin said something that stunned everyone.

"Ma'am, reports are in that the Earth Alliance is advancing from central Eurasia and three cities have been destroyed already," reported Meyrin.

"What did you just say?" gasped Talia with wide eyes.

"All ZAFT forces are to remain on standby until further orders," finished Meyrin with a look of disbelief, as she looked at all the causalities and deaths.

"Get me Commander Uzumaki immediately and have all hands at level 1 battle stations," ordered Captain Gladys, as she gripped her chair tightly.

"Hai Captain," saluted Arthur before relaying the orders and hitting the alarm to alert anyone who didn't hear him over the intercom.

**Battle of Berlin**

"I will destroy all the bad people," yelled Stella, as she destroyed every ZAFT mobile suit along with any civilians.

The once great city of Berlin was now being reduced to nothing but a graveyard. Everywhere one looked, there was nothing, but death and destruction as the Destroy Gundam used its massive arsenal of weapons to wipe out all life. It was a horrific sight and only a monster like Lord Djibril would order for such destruction.

Stella was about to continue her assault, but stopped when a massive energy reading was detected from above and she had to activate her shield to deflect the particle beam. All of the Earth Forces that had come along with the Destroy Gundam looked up to see the Freedom coming out of the cloud and the Archangel right behind it.

"Stella be careful, that's the Freedom," warned Neo, as he started to open fire upon the Freedom.

"I don't care who he is, I'll kill him," yelled Stella before transforming the Destroy Gundam into its mobile suit form to the shock of the Archangel and Kira.

"It's a mobile suit?" gasped Kira before his eyes narrowed. No matter what, he couldn't allow this monstrous mobile suit continue to destroy innocent people.

**Minerva **

"How horrible, I can't believe that one unit could cause this much destruction," gasped Luna, as she had to resist the urge to throw up at the scene.

"It seems the Freedom and Archangel has engaged the enemy," pointed out Naruto, causing Athrun's eyes to go wide in surprise.

'Kira,' thought Athrun before his eyes clouded over in shame. It seemed the Archangel and Freedom truly was fighting for peace if they engaged in a battle that didn't involve ORB.

"Captain," said Naruto, as he opened the link with the bridge.

"Yes Commander?" asked Captain Gladys curiously.

"When we get within range, I only want Epyon and Impulse to be launched, and you are to ignore the Archangel and Freedom. As of now they are our allies in helping to destroy that machine," ordered Naruto.

"Understood, and I agree with you," nodded Captain Gladys before closing the link.

"What do you mean that only you and the Impulse are going to launch? My ZAKU is in good enough condition to launch as well," argued Luna angrily.

"This is not an ordinary fight, and not even I know if I can take down that unit until I am able to fully analyze its defensive capabilities. Should the Impulse and I fall the Minerva will need one usable unit to protect it while it makes its escape," said Naruto before heading towards Epyon.

"He is right," said Athrun, causing Luna to look at him in surprise.

"Commander Uzumaki is the best pilot I have ever met and I don't think there is anyone who can match him in a straight up fight when he is at his best, but lately, there has been something different about him," stated Athrun. Luna couldn't argue with that logic because Naruto had been acted differently as of lately and had been walking around with a conflicted look in his eyes.

"Whatever is happening to him, it may affect his fighting abilities, and there is a slight chance he might not succeed in defeating this new enemy. If that happens, the Minerva will need to make a quick escape and you will have to be able to protect the ship should they give chase," said Athrun.

"He won't fail," stated Luna suddenly with a hard look in her eyes. Athrun looked at the girl in surprise because he had never seen her with such a look in her eyes.

"I may not know the Commander as well as you, but I do know that despite how hard he tries to hide it, he cares for people. The Commander will not allow that machine to continue to harm innocent civilians who aren't even apart of the war, especially when he has the power to stop it," finished Luna, as she watched the Destroy Gundam battle with the Freedom.

**Archangel**

"Captain, we have detected several incoming heat signatures. It is the Impulse and Epyon," relayed Miriallia.

"Receiving incoming message from Epyon," reported a tech. Murrue nodded her head and soon a familiar blond-haired pilot appeared on their screen.

"Captain Murrue Ramius of the Archangel, the Minerva, Impulse, and I wish to form a temporary alliance in order to help take down the Earth Forces located in Berlin. Do you accept?" asked Naruto.

"You have my word that no ZAFT forces shall attack you even after the battle and will allow you to leave the city without following you," reassured Naruto, as he saw the hesitation of the crew.

"Very well, I will let our own forces know, and we shall not engage any of your forces," agreed Murrue. Naruto just nodded his head before closing the link and heading off to engage the Destroy Gundam.

**Battle of Berlin**

"Damn it, what is with this monster?" mumbled Shinn, as his beams were easily reflected by the Destroy Gundam's armor.

Naruto was off helping the ORB forces to destroy the Chaos and the Freedom was fighting against Neo. Neo noticed that Shinn had managed to score a strike on Stella and disengaged the Freedom then started to attack the Impulse.

"You," gasped Shinn before using his shield to deflect the blasts.

"What are you doing boy? If you continue to attack the Destroy then you will only harm someone you care about," yelled Neo. Shinn froze and his eyes widened in horror especially at the next thing Neo said.

"The one piloting that suit is Stella," said Neo before kicking Shinn in the chest. Once Neo noticed that Shinn had stopped attacking, he went to reengage the Freedom.

"No, Stella," gasped Shinn in disbelief. The man had promised him that he wouldn't involve Stella in the war anymore, but now here she was piloting that monster mobile suit.

Shinn was quickly snapped out of his daze when he heard an explosion and saw the Freedom take out Neo. His eyes widened in horror as he saw the Freedom head towards Stella and he quickly went into action. He raised his beam rifle and started to fire at the Freedom before blocking its path.

"I won't let you harm her," yelled Shinn, as the Freedom floated in front of the Impulse.

"What is going on?" wondered Kira. He thought that ZAFT was on their side in stopping that machine, but here he was being attacked by the Impulse.

"Just leave her alone," demanded Shinn and was about to fire upon Freedom again, but a familiar heat rod came from his left and destroyed his weapon. Shinn and Kira turned their heads to see Epyon floating in the air as its heat rod retracted back to it.

"Shinn, you are to stop attacking the Freedom at once and help with taking out that mobile suit," ordered Naruto, as he appeared on the boy's monitor.

"No, I won't let either of you hurt her. She is just a victim, don't you understand?" said Shinn before drawing his beam saber.

"I understand better then you think, but thousands of civilians have lost their lives and that is unacceptable," replied Naruto.

He understood that the girl was probably tricked and manipulated into piloting that machine, but they could not sacrifice thousands of lives because of one person. If he had too, Naruto would take out the Impulse and the Destroy Gundam, just as he did with Sakura and Sasuke. To save the lives of thousands of innocents he would do what was necessary even if it meant taking out a girl who was forced into a war against her will.

"If you do not stand aside then I will take you down as well," promised Naruto, as he swung his heat rod above his head.

"I will not let you harm Stella," yelled Shinn before charging right at Epyon with its beam saber poised to strike.

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**Author's Note:**** Ok, so I managed to finish this next chapter almost completely on my own, go sexy! . Actually, the only reason I am releasing this chapter so quickly is because Tgobg thought it would be funny to take a break from the story right before the battle between _Impulse vs. Epyon_. I told him he was going to get alot of hate messages for doing it, but his stupid self still wanted to do it anyway. So, just remember, it was HIS idea to leave you all hanging for a few weeks and not post the next chapter that will be a fight most of you and even I have been waiting for! Anyway, the next chapter won't be out for awhile so take care and remember don't be mad at me . **


	22. Chapter 22

**Tgobg Note:**** I would like to say that Sexy was lying about that comment at the bottom of the last chapter. -.- The truth was we already had the next chapter written and that was her way of making me post it ASAP instead of waiting a bit. She is trying to break me from my laziness, but I swear I wasn't going to wait weeks to post it, just maybe a few days :P Anyway, since I don't want to receive any flames for being an ass, I have decided to post the chapter now and I hope you enjoy. Peace!**

* * *

"I won't let you harm Stella," yelled Shinn before going straight into SEED mode and charging right at Epyon.

"Freedom, take care of that machine while I deal with the Impulse," said Naruto before drawing his beam saber and parrying the Impulse's slash.

"Right," replied Kira before taking off. Shinn noticed the Freedom had started to head towards Stella and was about to stop him, but his momentary lack in concentration allowed Naruto deliver a powerful fist to his Gundam's head.

"Damn it," growled Shinn angrily. He used the mounted guns in Impulse's head to fire at Naruto, but Epyon easily dodged out of the way and then flung its heat rod at the Impulse.

"Don't make me destroy you," said Naruto, as Shinn used his shield to deflect the heat rod before charging at him.

"What would an emotionless bastard like you understand about trying to protect someone," yelled Shinn angrily.

Epyon and the Impulse pushed against each other with Shinn giving everything he had to overpower his Commander, but in the end, Epyon pushed the Impulse off balance and delivered a swift kick to the Impulse's chest. The Impulse was sent sailing into the roof of a nearby building while Epyon look down at it.

"Don't speak to me as if you know more about life then me," said Naruto with a hint of anger. This boy was starting to remind him of Sasuke with the way he kept living in the past and letting that rule his life.

Naruto's eyes snapped open in shock because isn't that exactly how he had been living lately as well. Hadn't he been refusing to acknowledge or get close to anyone because of what had happened to him? What made it ok for him to brood about his past then get angry at others when they did it as well?

The Impulse saw Epyon just floating there and took the chance to attack it so he could hurry and protect Stella. Shinn smirked as he appeared right above Epyon and was about to cut the Gundam in half, but his eyes widened in shock when Epyon merely side-stepped the attack before delivering a powerful punch to the Impulses exposed side.

'I guess someone like me has no right to judge you when my past still consumes me, but I still can't allow you to protect that machine. I may have fallen far, but I can not just watch as innocents get hurt,' thought Naruto as his eyes hardened and he quickly flicked his wrist.

"What?" gasped Shinn, as he felt Epyon's heat rod wrap around him. He tried everything to break free, but it was no use. Epyon then appeared behind the Impulse and wrapped its arm around the slightly smaller Gundam.

"Do you surrender?" asked Naruto calmly.

"Never, release me now you bastard so I can kill you," yelled Shinn angrily. Naruto just sighed before shooting straight up into the air with the Impulse in his arms then stopped before heading straight towards the ground.

"Ahhh!" screamed Shinn in horror, as the Epyon and the Impulse started to spin at incredible speeds while heading towards the ground. Right when they came within twenty feet of the ground, Epyon released the Impulse, but the momentum was so great that Shinn couldn't break out of the spin.

A large explosion shook the destroyed city and a huge cloud of dust erupted from the ground beneath Epyon. Epyon landed on the ground softly and waited for the dust to clear before making any move. Lying in a large crater was the Impulse, with its right arm completely destroyed along with both of its legs. Half of the Impulse's head was destroyed as well and it was clear that it was not getting back up.

"I am sorry about your friend, but there was no other option. The Freedom tried to save her by just disabling her machine, but it looks like she has passed away. At least now, she has finally achieved some type of peace as no one can use her where she is at," said Naruto, as he walked over to the fallen Impulse.

Shinn was lying unconscious in his cockpit with a major concussion and his left arm broken. The boy wouldn't find out until two days later, that Stella had died after the Freedom had disabled it, and the resulting explosion caused her to suffer from some internally bleeding. Naruto knew that Shinn would probably end up hating him and the Freedom, but maybe one day he would understand why they had to take out the girl.

Epyon leaned down, picked up the Impulse by throwing it over its shoulder, and then flew back to the Minerva. The battle was over and it was time to leave this destroyed city so that the recovery units could come in to try to save the few survivors.

**Minerva**

"Ma'am, the Epyon has managed to disable the Impulse and is now returning to the ship carrying what remains of the Impulse," reported Meyrin.

The whole crew was still in awe of how easily Commander Uzumaki had dealt with the Impulse. They all knew he was the best pilot in ZAFT, but Shinn was a powerful pilot as well and yet he was still taken out with incredible ease. How could a Natural be able to defeat Coordinators with such ease? It made everyone on board the Minerva wonder how truly powerful Naruto is.

"Have them land immediately and get Shinn to the medical bay because he has no doubt suffered severe injuries," ordered Talia with a small sigh.

"Arthur, once Shinn has been treated I want 24/7 watch on the boy because this is the second time he has disobeyed direct orders and he will be punished accordingly this time," said Talia with a hard look in her eyes, as if daring anyone to argue with her.

"Yes ma'am," saluted Arthur with a hint of fear at the look in his Captain's eyes.

**Minerva's Hangar**

"Commander, are you ok?" asked Luna, as Naruto exited his cockpit and used the grappling lift to lower himself to the ground. He had this look in his eyes that worried the girl and she wanted to make sure he was ok.

"I'm fine," said Naruto, but his eyes told otherwise.

"You sure don't look fine," frowned Luna with a questioning gaze in her eyes. Naruto just shrugged his shoulders, but Luna continued to walk next to him.

"I can't believe Shinn attacked you, and protected that machine after all the damage it caused. It was like he didn't even care that thousands had been killed or three cities had been destroyed by that machine," said Luna with a shake of her head.

"Sometimes everything isn't as it seems. There was someone he cared about piloting that mobile suit and they were precious to him. One can not fault him for wanting to protect someone precious to him," explained Naruto.

"Well, when you put it that way, you make it sound like you're the bad guy," frowned Luna.

"Perhaps I am," replied Naruto.

"How can you say that? You just saved thousands of people by stopping Shinn from protecting that machine so the Freedom could take it out. If it weren't for you then who knows how far Shinn would have gone to protect that machine and how many more lives would have been lost," argued Luna.

"Why is it you are so sure I am not a bad person?" asked Naruto, as he stopped walking and turned to look right into Luna's eyes. Luna blushed lightly before quickly composing herself.

"Let's see, first you save millions during the Junius Seven incident, then you saved my life after being shot by one of our own mechanics, which didn't stop you from continuing to take out the Earth Forces moment's later before they could capture or destroy us. Hmm, do I really need to go on with all you have done or can I stop?" smirked Luna playfully. Naruto just shook his head at the girl before saying something that surprised them both.

"You are troublesome," replied Naruto as he continued to the bridge, with a small smirk on his face, but was covered up quickly before anyone could see it.

"Hey, did you just say I was troublesome? What the hell does that mean?" yelled Luna, as she glared at Naruto.

**Archangel**

"Captain," said Kira, as he placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. Murrue looked at him with a small smile, but her eyes were filled with sadness.

The man they had picked up from the Windam that Kira had shot down looked was actually Mu La Flaga, but it seemed he had no memory of who he used to be. Murrue had been in love with Mu La Flaga before he had supposed died protecting the Archangel and now when she got him back, he couldn't even remember her. It hurt her so much to know that the man she loved had come from back the dead and yet couldn't even remember her name.

"It's him, I know it is, but he doesn't even remember me," cried Murrue before collapsing in Kira's arms.

"Captain," whispered Kira, as he held the woman and let her cry on him. Perhaps, it would have been better if they never found out who the man really was because it seemed he was causing more pain by his mere presence.

**Rey**

Rey was sitting in his room going over some data on the Freedom and as well as the Epyon with a determined look in his eyes. This is what Athrun saw as he approached the boy after checking on Shinn who was still bed ridden.

"Freedom? What exactly are you doing Rey?" asked Athrun with a surprised look in his eyes.

"I am going over some data so that we will be ready should we have to face the Freedom in the future," replied Rey calmly.

"What? The Freedom and Archangel are not our enemies," replied Athrun loudly. Rey calmly stood up and faced Athrun with a hard look in his eyes.

"They attacked us on two separate occasions and severely damaged the Minerva both times. Ruling out the possibility of them attacking us again would be extremely foolish, sir," argued Rey before brushing past Athrun. Athrun was about to argue further, but stopped when a familiar voice appeared from behind him.

"He is right in a way," said Naruto, as he came out of the shadows much to Athrun's shock.

"You don't possibly believe that Kira will attack the Minerva," said Athrun.

"No, he will not attack, I agree with you on that, but that isn't to say we won't attack them," replied Naruto. Athrun eyes widened in horror, but Naruto didn't seem to notice as he continued to talk.

"Whether you want to admit it or not, eventually, ZAFT will declare the Archangel as an enemy because of their actions in the past and we will be called to bring them down," finished Naruto.

"Why? What actions have they made that make them such a threat to us?" asked Athrun. He seemed to forgot it was the Freedom that had destroyed his Gundam had several damaged the Minerva several times. Weird, because Rey had just reminded him of that fact just a few moments ago.

"ORB is still apart of the Earth Alliance and as such an enemy of ZAFT. Every time ORB forces have engaged us in battle, the Freedom and Archangel have shown up to attack both sides in order to prevent the death of ORB personnel. It would be highly foolish of ZAFT to attack ORB when the Archangel and Freedom can show up at anytime and turn the tides against them," explained Naruto, as he watched a look of understanding pass through Athrun's eyes.

"The smartest move ZAFT can make is to get rid of the Freedom and Archangel first, then launch their attack on ORB," finished Naruto. Athrun just clenched his fists in anger because there was no denying his Commander's logic.

"If given the order I will launch and engage the Freedom in battle," said Naruto, as he brushed past Athrun, but stopped in the doorway when the boy asked him a sudden question.

"Why do you want to fight Kira so badly? I don't understand," asked Athrun.

"To obtain peace," replied Naruto before he continued to walk out of the room.

**PLANTs**

"Naruto-san, you are beginning to disrupt my plans with your behavior. It seems I might have made a large mistake placing you and Shinn on the same ship," sighed Durandal, as he received a report from Rey that Epyon had almost destroyed the Impulse and almost killed Shinn.

If Shinn had died then the Chairman would have lost a very valuable pawn in his plans, but luckily, the boy had survived the encounter. Durandal was upset to hear of how easily the Impulse was beat by Naruto because he had hoped to use Shinn and Rey to destroy Epyon and Naruto in the future. Perhaps Rey could have Shinn study the fighting patterns of Epyon as well as the Freedom's so next time Shinn will be better prepared to deal with either Gundam.

Anyway, it was time to use these most recent events to his advantage by finally revealing to the world who is truly behind this war. Today he would reveal everything about Logos including those who were at the top and controlled everything. Once he did that, he would have the full support of the Naturals, which would lead him to the final stages of his plan.

'Yes, everything is falling together nicely,' smirked Durandal, as he moved a piece on the chessboard in front of him.

**Minerva Medical Bay**

"Stella," mumbled Shinn before punching the wall next to him in anger. She was dead, and all because he wasn't strong enough to protect her.

No, it was because of his Commander and the Freedom. They were the ones that killed her and he would get his revenge. He would become stronger and then make them both pay for what they did.

"I swear to you Stella, I will make them both pay," swore Shinn, as he glared up at the ceiling from the bed he was lying on.

In his anger, Shinn seemed to forget that he couldn't even land a single blow on Naruto during their short fight. The scary part was, that Naruto didn't even fight him at full power and yet still beat Shinn while the boy was in his SEED Mode. If only Shinn was a little wiser then he might have realized that Naruto was beyond his league, but his anger clouded his mind.

**Archangel**

Everyone on board the Archangel listened as Durandal made his announcement about Logos then revealed all those who were major benefactors of the organization. There was just something about the announcement that put them all on edge and made them worry about the future.

"This is going to cause a huge uproar," said Cagalli with a hint of anger. The others silent agreed with the young woman, but it was Kira who surprised them with what he said.

"It is time to head back to ORB," said Kira, causing everyone to look at him in surprise.

"Kira," started Cagalli, but stopped when he smiled at her then explained his reasoning.

"I don't know what it is, but I can feel something big is about to make its move because of this announcement. We need to get you back to ORB at once Cagalli, before anything else happens. It is time for you to restore your nation," finished Kira with a hard look in his eyes.

"Very well, all hands get ready to take off. Full speed ahead to ORB," ordered Murrue with a small smile at Cagalli.

"Right," nodded Cagalli before taking her seat on the bridge.

**ZAFT Fleet Headquarters**

"Sir, it seems the Archangel has made its move," reported a soldier.

"This is exactly what we thought it would do once it heard the Chairman's announcement. I want you to prepare all our units and have them ready for battle. If they come through our territory then we will give them opportunity to surrender, but if they refuse then we will shoot them down," said the Commander firmly.

"Yes sir, I will notify all our forces immediately," saluted the soldier.

**Minerva**

"Ma'am, we are receiving a message from Fleet headquarters," relayed Meyrin, causing Arthur and Talia to look at the girl surprised.

"What do they want?" asked Talia curiously.

"Captain, they want us to help the local ZAFT forces take down the Archangel and Freedom should they not surrender," gasped Arthur.

"What!?" shouted Talia before going over to read the exact details of the mission.

**Minerva's Hangar**

Naruto stared up at Epyon with a questioning look in his eyes. In the last battle, he had noticed that Epyon seemed to move a bit slower and his reaction time was a bit off. This was strange because he knew his Gundam was in perfect shape so there was no reason for it to be acting the way it did. Could it be that Epyon was starting to reject him because his emotions were returning to him? He did once say that Epyon was a Gundam that radiated a powerful bloodlust for battle, but as of lately, Naruto had been more worried about protecting then straight up attacking. Either way, it was something he would have to worry about later because he had to launch soon.

The Minerva was already on way to engage the Archangel and Freedom, and Naruto had the only fully operation mobile suit so he would be the only one launching. Luna was quite upset when she was informed that she wouldn't be launching, but eventually understood that she still wasn't ready to face the Freedom in battle. The girl's skills had increased dramatically with her time spent under Naruto's guidance, but she was still not ready to fight someone on the Freedom or Epyon's level, not for a while.

"I see you are ready to go out and fight Kira," said Athrun with a hint of anger. Naruto turned to face the boy because he was curious as to what he truly wanted.

"I need to know, why is it you truly want to fight him?" asked Athrun.

"I already told you, to obtain peace," answered Naruto, as he looked Athrun straight in his eyes.

"How will fighting someone like Kira help you obtain peace? The Archangel and Freedom all fight for peace so you should be fighting with them not against them," argued Athrun.

"I don't believe in their vision of peace, which is why I could never fight along side them. In the past, I might have been able to fight along side them, but not anymore," said Naruto with a sad look in his eyes before he turned to look up at Epyon.

"I don't understand," said Athrun confused.

"Neither do I, but this is the only way I know to be with my friends again. Unlike you, leaving ZAFT won't return me to them," sighed Naruto. Athrun was surprised by that comment because he didn't expect to hear it from someone like his Commander.

"This is one of the main reasons I didn't want you to join ZAFT. Like your friend, you possess the potential to help me see my friends again as well. I sure would like to see them, it has been such a long time," said Naruto, but lowered his voice when he said the last part thought Athrun still heard him. Naruto then took the lift up to Epyon's cockpit and prepared to for his upcoming battle with the Freedom.

'How does fighting Kira or me help him reach his friends? He is risking his life when he fights,' thought Athrun before stopping in mid thought. His eyes widened in disbelief and he looked up at Epyon with eyes wide in horror.

'His friends, they are all dead. He wants to join them in death, which is why he fights,' realized Athrun in horror, as he watched Epyon launch from the Minerva.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**We know a lot are probably upset with Naruto's battle with Shinn and probably expected something more, but we would like to defend ourselves before we are flamed because we made Shinn so weak. We have three very good reasons why Naruto easily defeated Shinn.**

**1)The only reason Shinn was able to beat the Freedom is because he had time to prepare and Rey helped him come up with a plan of action.**

**2)Unlike the Freedom, Naruto is not afraid to go for the killing blow.**

**3)The Impulse, as shown in its fight with the Freedom, that it was only able to beat the Freedom because it kept switching out its part otherwise it would have lost at the beginning. Since Shinn was protecting an enemy, even if he asked, there is no way they would send out the any of the Impulse's part from its other packs.**

**4)This last reason is by Sexybitch personally, but she finds Shinn to be incredible weak until he receives the Destiny and even then (cough) still a weak little bitch. Hehe, sexy out . **

**I hope, this explains why we made the fight between Epyon and the Impulse so one-sided. Personally, we would have loved to drag it out, but that would not have been realistic. We had to look at it from all angles while watching the episodes leading up to the Fight between Impulse and Freedom very closely and several times. Sorry, if we made a lot of you upset with the short battle between the two, but rest assured, the **_**next **_**(wink) fight between them will be much better and longer, we hope lol. **


	23. Chapter 23

"Epyon launching," said Naruto before taking off from the Minerva and heading straight for the Freedom.

Kira heard a beeping sound go off and looked down at his monitor to see a familiar looking Gundam heading right for him. He recognized it immediately and turned around quickly then started to take aim at Epyon before firing upon it. Epyon quickly flew under the shots and swung its heat rod right at Freedom.

Freedom deflected the heat rod with its shield then started raining down shots upon Epyon. Epyon quickly dodged to the right then shot up into the air right at the Freedom. Kira barely managed to dodge out of the way time and while hanging in the air upside down it aim its rail and particle beam cannons at Epyon.

'You've grown stronger,' thought Naruto, as it dodged the beams shot at it by the Freedom before the two Gundams started to circle each other.

Kira didn't really want to be fighting Naruto, but knew he had to if he wanted to protect the Archangel because that is what Epyon would target next if he were to let it pass by. Freedom quickly dodged to the left to avoid being hit by the heat rod and fired its rail cannons at Epyon.

"Something is different," mumbled Kira, as he watched Epyon dodge its beams and then charge right at him. Kira quickly tossed away his beam rifle because he knew he would never hit Epyon with it and grabbed his beam saber.

Epyon swung its heat rod at the Freedom, but Kira used the Freedom's beam saber to cut it in half. This seemed to be what Naruto wanted because he continued forward through the small explosion of his heat rod being destroyed, and drew his own beam saber. It looked like this battle was over, but the Freedom managed to dodge at the last second but Naruto did end up destroying the Freedom's shield.

"Is he holding back or has his Gundam got slower?" wondered Kira, as he knew the last time he faced this Gundam it moved so much faster.

"Epyon's movements have become slower," frowned Naruto. Epyon and Freedom just stared at each other for a few seconds before charging at each other and their beam sabers clashed against each other's.

The two powerful Gundams pushed against each other, each trying to claim dominance over the other, but they seemed to be at a stalemate. Epyon turned its thrusters on full blasts and started to push the Freedom off balance, but didn't expect the Freedom to quickly stop pushing back. The Freedom used Epyon's own power against it and raised its rail cannons to disable it at point blank as Epyon over extended itself.

Kira had thought this was over as he took aim, but gasped in surprise when a heat rod came out of nowhere and destroyed both his rail cannons before a swift kick to his chest sent him flying backwards. The Freedom looked up to see that Epyon had a whole new heat rod to wield along with its beam saber.

"Just because my speed has decreased doesn't mean my skill has as well," said Naruto, as they both prepared for round two.

**Minerva**

"Amazing, I was actually worried there for a moment," said Luna, but one could tell by looking in her eyes she was still worried about Naruto.

'Is he purposely letting Kira have these shots at him or is there something wrong with his Gundam?' thought Athrun. He couldn't be sure ever since he had realized the truth of why Naruto wanted to fight his friend.

Everyone else watching the fight, and not directly helping the Minerva take down the Archangel, was watching the fight between Epyon and Freedom in awe. They were all rooting for their Commander to finally take out the Freedom, except for two people. Those two people were unsurprisingly Rey and Shinn, who had been finally released and allowed to return to semi-active duty. Rey was hoping they would both destroy each other while Shinn hoped they both survived so he could kill them himself.

**Freedom vs. Epyon**

Two blurs moved across the sky, one red and the other white, before colliding against each other, as each battle for dominance over the other. The Freedom had effectively lost all of its long-range weapons and was forced to engage in close-range combat with Epyon. Epyon had suffered some damage from the particle beams before it managed to destroy them, but otherwise, it was perfectly fine.

"I can't beat him at this rate," thought Kira, as he performed a back flip right above Epyon's heat rod. There was a quick opening and the Freedom shot forward ready to take off Epyon's right arm. Epyon managed to dodge it at the last second, but not quick enough, as the Freedom had managed to destroy the pack on its arm that held its heat rod.

"Hmm, we are both down to one weapon," said Naruto before charging forward.

Freedom quickly raised its saber to parry the blow, but was unprepared when Epyon's foot collided with its right kneecap. The blow was so powerful that it managed to completely break off Freedom's right leg at the kneecap and the small explosion blew them both backwards.

"Ah!" grunted Kira, as he regained his balance, and checked how bad the damage was. It wasn't too bad, but his speed had decreased by 9 percent, which meant he had to be extra careful.

Freedom surprised Epyon by wasting no time in charging right back at it and Naruto grunted, as he was not prepared for the Freedom to recover so quickly. The guns mounted on Freedom's head pointed down at Epyon and opened fire. Naruto gritted his teeth in pain before using Kira's own trick against him. Epyon leaned back and let the Freedom overpower it causing the Freedom to over extend itself as the Epyon had did earlier.

Kira barely reacted in time and raised Freedom's arm to block the incoming punch to his Gundam's head. The claw on Epyon's hand punctured right through the Freedom's armor and Naruto with incredible force ripped off Freedom's left arm. Naruto was unprepared though when Kira managed to quickly stab Epyon in the side with Freedom's saber.

Epyon quickly grabbed Freedom beam saber arm and spun the Gundam around before launching it at the ocean and effectively removing the saber from its body in the process. Naruto gritted his teeth in pain as his cockpit started to go on the fritz, but knew he had to finish this fight now and charged right down at the Freedom. Epyon's beam saber was poised to strike as it charged right down at the Freedom.

Kira's eyes widened in horror and slowly raised his arm to parry the blow, and succeeded too, but before he could enjoy his short victory. The same hand that had tore off his left arm and plunged its claws right into Freedom's chest. Freedom's beam saber died down and Epyon's momentum took the Freedom and slammed it right down into the ocean where it created a large splash. Epyon quickly removed its hand before shooting up in the air to avoid being caught in the destruction of the Freedom..

A small explosion underwater let Naruto know that the Freedom had been destroyed. He powered down his beam saber and landed on dry land. Epyon lowered its head to see that the Freedom's saber had managed to deliver a blow to its upper left chest before it had gone down.

"This is Commander Uzumaki, the Freedom has been destroyed," reported Naruto before closing the link, as he didn't want to listen to the reply.

"Next time we meet, don't hold back, and go for the killing blow the next time it presents itself," said Naruto, as he looked at the damage to his chest and the hole on the right side of his lower chest.

**Minerva**

Naruto exited his cockpit to see a bunch of people waiting for him and knew they were probably here to congratulate him on his defeat of the Freedom. He sensed someone glaring at him and looked to the far left to see Athrun glaring at him in anger with his hand clenched into fists at his sides. Luna was on the other side of him, but unlike Athrun, she just smiled at him and waved.

"Such a weird girl," mumbled Naruto before landing on the ground. The crowd of people quickly started to praise him, but one quick glare sent them stepping back with sheepish grins on their face. They continued to congratulate him, but from a distance as Naruto made his way over to Athrun and Luna.

"Congratulations Commander, it sure did take you long enough," teased Luna before saluting him.

"Thank you," said Naruto, but his eyes were focused upon Athrun.

"You," started Athrun, but stopped when Naruto walked up to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder before leaning down to whisper something in his ear.

"Your friend lives," whispered Naruto before brushing past the boy and Luna quickly followed Naruto out of the hangar. Athrun just stood there shocked, but soon he relaxed and a relieved look entered his eyes.

"So, want to tell me what you said to Athrun?" asked Luna hopefully.

"His friend spared me, so I spared him in return, which is what I told Athrun," answered Naruto cryptically.

"Huh?" replied Luna confused. Naruto didn't bother to elaborate and just kept walking, which caused Luna to just sigh at his behavior, but then she started up a different conversation. She was used to his behavior by now and didn't let it get her down anymore.

**Archangel**

"Ugh," groaned Kira, as he slowly woke up. His head was killing him and his muscles were extremely sore for some reason.

"Kira," said a familiar voice, which the boy recognized as it belonged to Cagalli. Kira had to blink a few times to regain his vision, but soon it cleared up and there looking down at him with worried looks in their eyes were Murrue, Miriallia, and Cagalli.

"I am glad to see you are ok Kira," smiled Murrue with a warm look in her eyes.

"Yeah, we were all worried about you for awhile there," grinned Miriallia before she placed a tray of food in his lap.

Kira looked at them all confused before the memories of his battle with Epyon came back to him. It gave him a slight headache, but it soon cleared away and he asked the question that he was scared to have answered.

"Is everyone aboard the Archangel ok?" asked Kira with a hint of worry.

"Yes, we managed to escape at the last moment, but you should know the Freedom was completely destroyed," answered Cagalli with an apologetic look in her eyes.

"The Archangel took some serious damage and it will take us a bit longer to reach ORB especially with ZAFT actively looking for us," said Murrue with a small sigh.

"At least everyone is ok that is what is important," smiled Kira, causing them to smile back at him. Once he realized everyone was ok, he started to think back on his fight with Epyon, and couldn't stop wondering why Naruto didn't kill him when he had the chance. It would plague his thoughts all the way to ORB.

**PLANTs**

"Hmm, so the Freedom has been destroyed, but no news on the Archangel," mumbled Durandal with a slight frown on his face.

He was glad to hear that the Freedom had been destroyed, but he wasn't going to relax until he knew that the Archangel had been destroyed as well. There was also the problem in that he hadn't found the real Lacus Clyne when he had forces looking out for her everywhere. The girl was definitely somewhere in space, but where he still didn't know and knew he had to find her soon. She would only cause problems for him in the future.

Durandal just sighed before contacting one of his assistants via the intercom in his office.

"Ted, please have my shuttle prepared for me and find Lacus Clyne. I want her to come with me when I head to Earth and visit our Gibraltar Base," said Durandal before closing the link.

**Gibraltar Base**

"I didn't think we would ever reach this place," joked Arthur, causing Talia to smile slightly as they walked down the ramp and off the ship.

"It has been a long trip, but we made it in one piece so we can't complain," said Talia with a small smile.

"Mhm, if it weren't for our pilots we probably would have never got here. They really pulled through," said Arthur.

"Yes, despite all the misgivings and some of the trouble we had, they did perform admirably," agreed Talia with a hint of pride. They didn't get to talk any further when a familiar voice surprised them.

"It pleases me to see the Minerva along with its crew have arrived safe and sound," smiled Durandal, as he approached Talia with Lacus walking a bit behind him.

"Chairman," saluted Talia and Arthur along with the rest of the crew that was coming down the ramp except for Naruto who was still going over some repairs on his Gundam. The Chairman nodded and smiled at everyone before gesturing for Talia to follow him.

"It seems Athrun is still aboard the ship if you wish to visit him Lacus-sama," smiled Durandal.

"Thank you Chairman," smiled Lacus before heading up the ramp. She didn't really want to visit Athrun, but needed to keep up appearances.

**Minerva Hangar**

"Hn, the damage is worse then I thought, it will take me some time to repair you," mumbled Naruto, as he went over the damage that Epyon had sustained.

"Um, would you like some help?" asked Athrun nervously. Naruto glanced at the boy from the corner of his eyes before gesturing for him to take the counsel next to him. The two worked in a comfortable silence before Athrun broke it.

"I wanted to say thank you for you know," spluttered Athrun.

"There is no need to thank me, had the Freedom gone for killing blows I would have as well it is as simple as that," replied Naruto dismissively.

"Yes, but you could have gone for killing blows despite that Kira didn't and I thank you for that," pointed out Athrun. Naruto just nodded his head because he realized Athrun wouldn't drop the subject until he accept his gratitude.

"Naruto-kun!" yelled a familiar voice, which caused both men to turn around to see a beautiful young woman with pink hair running towards them. Athrun was surprised that the girl had called out his Commander's name instead of his own and looked at her curiously.

"I mean Athrun-kun, it is good to see you again," corrected Lacus quickly, as she forced a smile on her face.

"Hello Lacus," smiled Athrun. Naruto merely nodded his head at Meer before going back to some of the data he was overlooking concerning Epyon.

"What are you doing in Gibraltar?" asked Athrun curiously.

"Oh, the Chairman wished me to come here with him, but he hasn't told me the exact reasons why yet," lied Meer with a fake smile. She knew why he had brought along, but it was something she couldn't tell Athrun.

"Sorry Commander, but I think it is best if I go with meet with the Chairman. Lacus, do you mind showing me where he is staying at?" asked Athrun. Meer frowned slightly because she had been hoping to stay to speak with Naruto alone, but now she would have to talk to him later because the Chairman wouldn't be pleased if she refused Athrun this request.

"Ok, later Naruto-san," smiled Meer.

"Later," replied Naruto with a small nod of his head. He watched as they both left the hangar before looking up at Epyon. His eyes narrowed when he noticed that there were white spots on its armor.

'What does this mean Epyon?' wondered Naruto with a slight frown.

**Athrun, Shinn, & Chairman**

"I am glad you two could join me as I was hoping to get the chance to speak with you both," smiled Durandal. Athrun and Shinn saluted the Chairman while Meer stood behind the man with a red Haro in her hand.

"Before we speak though, I would like you both to take a look at these for me and tell me what you think," said Durandal, as the lights turned on to reveal two brand new Gundams.

"On my right is the Legend and the other is the Destiny," smiled Durandal, as he saw the look of awe on Shinn's face, but frowned a bit when he saw Athrun's eyes narrow in suspicion.

None of them sensed the fifth presence in the room, which was Naruto who hid in the shadows. He looked up at the Destiny and Legend with an impassive look on his face. It was easy for him to listen onto their conversation from his position and once he heard enough he left.

**Later that Night**

Athrun was in his room with a troubled look on his face as he went over everything the Chairman had said today. It seemed Kira was right after all because the Chairman definitely had a different agenda then what he portrayed. He was going to think on the matter further, but was interrupted when someone entered the room and turned on the lights.

"Meer, what are you doing here?" asked Athrun, as he got a good look at the person who had entered his room uninvited.

"Athrun, you need to hurry and get out of here before they come for you," said Meer urgently.

"What are you talking about?" asked Athrun confused.

"I overheard the Chairman speaking with that Rey kid, and it seems they have decided you are no good. They are going to get rid of you," whispered Meer before telling him everything she heard. By the end of the story, Athrun had a hard look in his eyes and couldn't believe how foolish he had become.

"The Chairman is very smart and knows me very well, but I will no longer be a mindless puppet from him to use," said Athrun. Meer was about to tell he had to hurry but then there was banging on the door and they were demanding Athrun come out.

"Come on, we have to leave," whispered Athrun, before grabbing Meer, and they both escaped out the window. Meer pulled her hand out of his and this caused Athrun to look at her in shock.

"Meer," started Athrun.

"No, I can't leave," interrupted Meer fiercely.

"Don't be a fool Meer, you may be convenient for the Chairman now, but he will get rid of you once he no longer needs you," said Athrun honestly.

"I know," whispered Meer. Athrun looked at her in shock because if she knew then why did she still wish to stay.

"At first, I just really wanted to be Lacus, but then I met Naruto-kun. He became my friend even when no one else would and accepted me for who I was. I know he probably doesn't feel the same way, but he is the reason why I can't go with you. You probably can't understand, but if I leave with you I might never get to see him again," started Meer before her eyes hardened.

"I left him once without so much as a goodbye, and I will not abandon him again. He is my friend and I won't abandon my only friend even if it means putting my life on the line," finished Meer leaving no room for argument. Athrun was about to say something, but stopped when the sound of soldiers coming out of the window caused them both to look up.

"He has Lacus-sama, take him out," yelled the leader, but before any of the soldiers could fire a kunai pierced each of their gun. They all looked up confused before their eyes widened in shock as Naruto landed in front of them.

Athrun and Meer watched in awe as Naruto took out all three soldiers in seconds before turning to face them.

"Go with him Meer, I will deal with any soldiers that come after you," said Naruto with a hard look in his eyes.

"Naruto-kun," gasped Meer.

"Commander," started Athrun, but Naruto silenced them both with a heavy glare.

"Consider this the last order I give you, because I am ordering you to take Meer and go back to your friends. Neither of you belong here so I want you both to leave immediately," ordered Naruto before the sound of more soldiers was heard.

Athrun just nodded his head before delivering a quick chop to the back of Meer's neck then picking up the girl bridal style. He looked up to see Naruto walking towards him with an apologetic look in his eyes.

"Keep her safe and treat her well because even though she has made some bad choices in life, she is not beyond saving," said Naruto.

"Come with us Commander," said Athrun, but stopped when Naruto raised his hand to silence him.

"No, I told you before that I do not believe in you or your friend's visions of peace. Next time we meet Athrun Zala, it will be in battle, and don't disappoint me," interrupted Naruto.

"Now go," ordered Naruto, causing Athrun to nod his head before taking off. Naruto watched him go before disappearing into the shadows. He would make sure they both escaped by handling any soldiers that tried to stop them.

The next day there would be a huge uproar about how Lacus Clyne was kidnapped and every mobile that had tried to follow the person who stole her last night, had been unresponsive, and refused to power up. Of course, there was one man who knew what happened because he had single-handedly shut down the Gibraltar Base with a little help from his Gundam. The Chairman didn't let it out that Athrun Zala had been the one to take her because without any real evidence to back up his claim he would just end up sounding like a fool.


	24. Chapter 24

"This mobile suit sure is amazing, but it doesn't feel right for some reason," frowned Luna, as she went over all of the Impulse's capabilities while in the cockpit.

The Impulse was now her new mobile suit since Shinn was given the Destiny and Rey the Legend. It wasn't that she was ungrateful or anything, but the Impulse just didn't feel right in her hands. This was the Gundam that Shinn used to attack the Commander and as of lately, Luna didn't really want to have anything to do with Shinn. He may have been a friend in the past, but all he kept doing now was glaring at Naruto or had that smug look on his face because he was one of the Chairman's favorites.

Shinn was just starting to really piss her off lately, and now that Athrun was gone, declared a traitor, there was no one to keep him in check. Well that wasn't completely true, Commander Uzumaki could keep him and anyone else in check if he felt like it, but he didn't waste his time on people like Shinn.

"I have added the ZERO system like you requested," said Naruto, as he interrupted Luna's thoughts.

"Oh sorry, had a lot on my mind," flushed Luna before flashing Naruto a beautiful smile. Naruto just nodded his head and was about to leave when Luna stopped him with her next question.

"Sir, I don't mean to step out of line, but is it true about Athrun being a part of Logos the whole time he was with ZAFT?" asked Luna curiously.

"You're not an idiot, so don't act like one," replied Naruto, causing Luna to blink in surprise before following Naruto down to the ground.

"Hey, you don't have to be so mean. All I did was ask you a question," complained Luna with a hint of anger.

"Do you truly believe that he is a part of Logos?" asked Naruto calmly. Luna frowned at that before answering truthfully.

"No, but why would they say he is? I just don't understand much of what has been going on," sighed Luna with a troubled look in her eyes.

Naruto stopped walking and turned to face the girl with his beautiful piercing sky blue eyes. Luna just gulped nervously, but couldn't break eye contact with him for some reason.

"There are many things that you do not know and if you continue to ask question you will be putting yourself in danger. It is probably best if you didn't know the truth until you are stronger," said Naruto before turning away and heading out of the hangar.

"Commander?" gasped Luna, as she watched him leave.

'Epyon no longer lends me his strength, I can't protect you or anyone else anymore,' thought Naruto with a grim expression on his face.

**Chairman**

'Damn that boy, by taking Meer he has ruined my plans for after we destroy Heaven's Base,' cursed Durandal angrily.

Athrun not only took Meer, but they had failed to even follow after him because Rey and Shinn were found knocked out and with several broken bones in front of the Legend and Destiny. It wasn't until Durandal heard that, that he knew there had to be a third party which helped Athrun escape, but he couldn't figure out who. Could there have been a spy from the Archangel in the Earth Alliance Forces that had arrived at Gibraltar this whole time?

Whomever it is, Durandal planned on finding out who exactly they were, and then dealing with them accordingly. Of course, it would have to wait until after the operation to finally destroy Heaven's Base where almost all of Logos was located. Once he finally dealt with Logos, he could make his move on ORB and focus some of his forces on finding the spy.

**Archangel**

Miriallia was sitting at her station with a drink in her hand and looking at some old photographs she had taken. The last thing she expected was to get a message using an old frequency. She looked down at her console and her eyes widened in disbelief as she realized whom it was from.

"Kira, Cagalli, I just got a message from Athrun. He is requesting we patch him through," yelled Miriallia.

"Athrun," gasped Cagalli before racing over to see the message herself.

"Kira, what do you want to do?" asked Murrue curiously. Kira looked thoughtful before nodding his head at the captain then turning to face the monitor.

"Put him through please," replied Kira. Murrue just gestured for Miriallia to do as Kira said and a second later Athrun appeared on the screen.

They were surprised by how disheveled he looked as his eyes seemed to be blood shot as if he hadn't got any sleep in days. He wasn't wearing his pilot uniform either, which also got their attention because to forget one's uniform meant they were in some type of hurry.

"Kira, I know we haven't been on very good terms as of lately, but I need your help. You were right about the Chairman," said Athrun with an apologetic look in his eyes.

"Athrun, what happened?" asked Kira worried.

"I have been declared a traitor and spy for Logos because I didn't wish to become a mindless puppet for the Chairman to use. I managed to escape with some help and I also have someone with me that you might like to meet. I understand if you are reluctant to trust me, but please, just allow me to meet with you one more time," pleaded Athrun.

"Kira," whispered Cagalli.

"Captain, give him our coordinates and allow him to dock in the Archangel," said Kira with a reassuring smile.

"Right, you heard him," smiled Murrue before she ordered the ship to break surface to allow another unit to dock.

"Thank you," smiled Athrun gratefully.

**Athrun**

Athrun just received the coordinates and started to head in that direction. A slight moaning sound made him turn his head and see Meer waking up from her slumber, which he had put her in.

"What happened? Where am I?" groaned Meer before her eyes snapped open as she suddenly remembered everything.

"Naruto-kun! Where is he?" demanded Meer.

"Calm down Meer, Naruto is fine, and everything is ok. I promise you that you're safe," said Athrun, as he tried to calm the girl down.

"No, how could you just leave him behind? Now the Chairman will go after him once he finds out what he did," yelled Meer hysterically, as tears streamed down her face.

"Meer, that last thing Commander Uzumaki told me to do was to take care of you and keep you safe. It is obvious that he thought of you as a close friend and wanted you to be safe. I _will_ keep you safe no matter what," said Athrun with a hard look in his eyes.

"Naruto-kun, he really wanted me to be safe?" whispered Meer in surprise.

"Yes, I wouldn't lie to you, not about something that serious," smiled Athrun.

"But, what about him?" cried Meer with a worried look in her eyes.

"Meer, I don't think we need to worry about the Commander. If there is one thing I know for a fact, it is that he is somebody who doesn't need anyone's help when it comes to surviving," replied Athrun seriously.

"Trust me, he will be just fine, and I am sure we will both see him again in the future," reassured Athrun, which caused Meer to calm down.

"Ok," nodded Meer, as she could tell by looking into Athrun's eyes that he had meant every word he had said.

"We are going to join the Archangel and it's crew, I want you to stay by me at all times, because they might need awhile to get used to your appearance," said Athrun.

"The Archangel, but isn't that the ship that attacked you and Naruto-kun?" asked Meer confused.

"Yes, but they aren't what you think. Just give them a chance, Naruto trusted me to take you to them as he knew I would be going to them, so just trust me when I say they aren't bad people," said Athrun with a small smile. Meer just nodded her head, but inside she was a nervous wreck and she couldn't stop worrying about Naruto.

**Gibraltar Base**

'I am sorry Epyon, it seems like I couldn't keep my emotions locked away after all,' thought Naruto, as he stared up at the powerful Gundam.

The Gundam had finally been fully repaired, but it didn't matter, because Naruto doubted he would ever be able to use it again. Epyon is a Gundam that strived off conflict and fighting, while eliminating all other aspects of one's life. Naruto had received this Gundam after waking up in the middle of nowhere, Canada, and the last thing he remembered was that vision of Natarle Badgiruel being killed by Lord Azrael. Everything else was just a big blur with a blinding white light.

After that incident, Naruto realized he had made the mistake of getting close to someone again and threw out his emotions once and for all. This made him the perfect pilot for Epyon and no one could match him when he unleashed its full power. He had become the ultimate warrior and not even the Freedom stood a chance against him, but not anymore.

In his last battle against the Freedom, he had barely won that fight, and technically, both he and the Freedom pilot should be dead if they had gone for killing blows. Ever since then, Epyon had ignored Naruto completely, and when Naruto tried to use it in a simulation, he found his timing and everything off. Naruto had finally accepted the fact that he could no longer use Epyon.

'How ironic, I spend almost a millennium trying to erase all my emotions, and when I finally do it, I start to want them back,' thought Naruto with a shake of his head.

"Commander," said a familiar voice shyly. Naruto turned his head and spotted Luna walking towards him nervously. He nodded his head at the girl before returning to look at Epyon.

"The Operation to take out Heaven's Base is about to start soon. How come you are still here?" asked Luna curiously.

"I will not be going with you," answered Naruto.

"What, but you are the best pilot in ZAFT. Why would you be told to stay behind?" said Luna shocked.

"I requested to stay behind," corrected Naruto.

"What?" gasped Luna even more surprised then before.

"I would only get in the way and possibly jeopardize many ZAFT lives if I were to go out there in my current state," explained Naruto.

"Commander, you aren't making any sense," said Luna confused. Why did he always have to speak in riddles? Didn't he know that she wanted to help him and it would be so much easier if he gave her straight answers?

"If you want to master the ZERO system, there is one thing you must always remember," said Naruto suddenly, as he turned to face Luna completely.

"Um, what is that?" asked Luna curiously. Damn him for changing the subject like that and damn her for letting him.

"You must always remember who you are. The ZERO will attempt to make you into the perfect soldier by erasing your personality and replacing it with one that will be better suited for battle," started Naruto, as Luna paid rapt attention.

"Do not let yourself become something you aren't. Remember who you are and don't let anyone or thing take that from you. Do you understand?" said Naruto seriously.

"Yes sir," nodded Luna.

"Good, now go, you are needed for the operation at Heaven's Base," said Naruto before turning to face Epyon. Luna wanted to say something, but for some reason the words just wouldn't come out. She eventually gave up and started to walk away, but not before glancing at Naruto one last time.

'I know I have no right to ask this of you, but I need your strength for one last battle. If you lend me it one more time, I promise in our next battle you will obtain the fight you so desire, and I will obtain the peace I seek,' swore Naruto with a hard look in his eyes.

All remained quiet for a few moments, before Epyon's eyes glowed a bright green, and Naruto nodded his head at the powerful Gundam.

'I hope you and your friend are prepared Athrun Zala, because I expect you both to return the favors I granted you both by fighting me with everything you have next time we meet,' thought Naruto before climbing into Epyon's cockpit and going over some data.


	25. Chapter 25

"Hey, how are you doing?" asked Athrun, as he sat down next to Meer. They had been staying on the Archangel for the past two days and much had occurred.

Chairman Durandal and the ZAFT forces succeeded in destroying Heaven's Base and capturing all members of Logos, except for Lord Djibril. The war should have been over, but the Chairman wouldn't end it until all members of Logos had been captured. Now there was word that ZAFT would be attacking ORB soon because reports of Lord Djibril being housed within ORB borders had gotten out.

"I am fine, but I don't think anyone really likes having me here. It might be better if I leave," sighed Meer.

"That isn't true, it's just they don't understand why you took the position of Lacus, and well you haven't really let anyone get close to you," explained Athrun, as he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"If they find out the real reason I became Lacus they would just hate me. Even I have started to hate me for being so shallow," whispered Meer, as she stared at her reflection in the glass of water that she was holding.

"We all make mistakes, but they don't define us. Anyone can be saved if they want to be, which is what Commander Uzumaki told me when he told me to watch over you. I didn't really get much time to think on his words at the time, but I believe he is right," said Athrun, causing Meer to give him her full attention.

"It's not our mistakes that define us, but how we learn from them that determines who we are. I am still not sure of my purpose and I don't know if I ever will be, but I _will _learn from my mistakes," finished Athrun with a small smile at Meer.

"I think I understand, and thank you Athrun-kun," smiled Meer warmly before leaning her head on his shoulder. Athrun was surprised by the action, but soon relaxed and allowed the troubled girl to rest on him.

**Eternal**

"Damn, looks like they found us," cursed Andrew. They must have followed his lieutenant when he was making his way back to them with the Destiny Plans.

"We need to launch," said Lacus firmly. Andrew and the crew looked at her surprised because if they launched then they would surely be found.

"I know it may seem foolish, but we can't let the Factory get caught after all they have done for us. We must protect them and make our descent towards Earth so we can launch the pods along with these documents," explained Lacus with a hard look in her eyes.

"Right, well then you heard her, all hands prepare launch and get ready for battle," ordered Andrew with a small smirk.

"Thank you my friends," smiled Lacus, as the Eternal finally made itself known.

**Archangel**

"Captain, did something happen?" asked Kira, as he and Cagalli entered the bridge.

"Yes, it seems the Eternal has been discovered and is currently on the run from ZAFT forces," said Murrue with an apologetic look on her face.

Kira and Cagalli both looked stunned at this revelation because Lacus was in danger and there was nothing they could do.

"They don't know if they will be able to escape their pursuers, but they plan to descend towards Earth and release several pods for us to have," finished Murrue.

"Pods?" asked Kira confused. Murrue just nodded her head while Kira looked down at the ground with his fist clenched in anger.

He wanted to go to her, but she had wanted him to stay with the Archangel, and with ZAFT planning to attack ORB soon he couldn't just leave. Kira was so confused because he didn't know what to do, but soon a familiar voice gave him the answer.

"Go Kira," said Athrun, as he entered the bridge with Meer at his side.

"What?" spluttered Kira.

"Go to her and protect her because if she dies then all hope will be definitely lost. You must protect her at all costs," repeated Athrun with a hard look in his eyes.

"He is right, the Chairman will surely complete his goals if Lacus-sama is out of the picture," agreed Meer softly.

"Right, Cagalli, I will be taking your Strike Rouge. Captain, tell them to clear the hangar because I am going to use the booster to get to her," said Kira before running out of the bridge.

"Will he be ok on his own?" asked Meer curiously.

"Yes, Kira will not let anything happen to Lacus," replied Athrun with a knowing look in his eyes.

**Gibraltar Base**

Naruto stared up into the sky and it was as if he could see clear into space because not once did he blink. It was as if he was watching something happen in space because his lips twitch a bit, but the smile never fully formed. Even Epyon's eyes glowed in delight, which meant there was something definitely going on in space.

"So, the Freedom is reborn and this time you are even more powerful then before," said Naruto, as he continued to stare up into the skies.

**Chairman**

"Shinn, Rey, it gives me great honor to present you with these. I hope with them you will both continue to fight and protect the peace that we all desire," smiled Durandal, as he presented each pilot with a FAITH member badge.

Luna watched the whole affair with a fake smile on her face while inwardly she couldn't help but feel this was wrong. Shinn and Rey were excellent pilots, far better then an average pilot, but did they truly deserve to become members of FAITH. FAITH was an organization that consisted of pilots who had achieved outstanding recognition during battles and neither had really done such that.

The Minerva did participate in many battles on its way to Gibraltar, but during those battles, it was mainly Naruto that had truly turned the tides in those battles. Rey, like her, though she hated to admit it, didn't really do all that much, until this current battle where each of their Gundams managed to take down several Destroy Gundams. Shinn's only real accomplishment was taking out several ORB ships, but that wasn't that impressive due to the fact that the Freedom had shown up and disable practically every mobile suit on both sides. Not to mention that Shinn did disobey orders several times and even attacked a superior officer, and if anything, Shinn should be in a military holding cell for treason.

'Could this possibly be a reason why Athrun ran away? Is this what Commander Uzumaki was warning me when he told me not to start asking too many questions concerning what is going on?' thought Luna, as she frowned inwardly.

Something was definitely not right about all this and Luna was going to try her damn best to figure out what was truly going on.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Ugh, it is such a pain to have to write filler chapters. :( But we have no choice because we can't just skip over these next events as they are way to important to the whole GSD series. Naruto's role in the next few chapters is going to be small as we have already planned everything out with for his role, but can't get in depth with it until get past the next couple of chapters. That being said, the next couple of chapters will be Fillers, which means they will be **short **and not our usual chapter length.**

**This depresses us because we are so close to reaching 100,000 words :(**** stupid filler chapters!**

**Oh and the reason we are updating so quickly is because my son started to read the story and has begged us to work on it because he hates waiting for things. Gets really annoying after awhile and makes you wish hitting was a socially accepted norm in society :P lol**


	26. Chapter 26

"Commander," yelled Luna, as she ran towards Naruto, who was as usual working on Epyon all by himself.

"Yes?" asked Naruto curiously, as he typed in a few new data sequences.

"Is it true what they say about ZAFT forces launching from Carpentaria towards ORB?" asked Luna, as she took a second to catch her breath.

"Yes, it has been found that Lord Djibril is being housed by the Saran family, but the current leader of ORB is refusing to hand him over. ZAFT will strike at ORB within a few hours if they continue to house the leader of Logos," answered Naruto calmly, before getting up and moving over to a separate station.

"Why would ORB do such a thing?" wondered Luna, not believing that they would provide sanctuary to such a horrible person.

"ORB has always been ruled by weak and selfish leaders," replied Naruto with a hint of anger.

"I guess, but do you think they will succeed in destroying ORB?" asked Luna with a small sigh.

"That depends," shrugged Naruto before nodding his head in satisfaction at Epyon's performance in the simulation he just performed.

"Depends on what?" frowned Luna.

"On how hard you will fight to beat them, since the Minerva will be launching in thirty minutes to help the Carpentaria forces," said Naruto to the surprise of Luna.

"How did you know that Minerva would be heading to ORB?" spluttered Luna before mentally smacking herself in the head, as she remembered whom she was speaking with and how stupid that question was now. Naruto didn't bother to answer that question because he realized Luna already knew how he knew about the Minerva heading towards ORB.

"I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I can't help but feel I am fighting on the wrong side. I mean, at first I was fighting because I wanted to help do what was right, but it doesn't seem like that ZAFT cares about that anymore. The Chairman seems to have a whole different agenda and it worries me," said Luna.

Naruto stopped what he was doing at looked at Luna with a slight frown before saying something that caught Luna's attention.

"It has been my experience that people fight for three main reasons," started Naruto, as Luna paid close attention.

"The first reason someone fights is because of sense of loyalty to one's nation and home. To people who fight using this reason it doesn't matter what monstrosity there nation may cause or what order they may be given, they still follow through with it because that is there home that contains the people they care about. Then again, a person may just have a strong sense of loyalty to whatever they side they are on because they don't believe in abandoning those who have come to rely on them," said Naruto.

"The second reason is a personal agenda, whether it is revenge or the desire to protect something or someone. There are a variety of personal feelings that cause one to fight for their beliefs, such as the Archangel, which fights for peace or to protect ORB," paused Naruto before moving onto the last reason.

"The last reason, is because they have no other option. It is not unusual for some people to be forced to fight even if they don't want to. Many people get dragged into wars and soon find they are unable to get out of it for some reason or another," finished Naruto before addressing Luna directly.

"The question is what reason do you have for fighting? Do you fight merely because you are a soldier of ZAFT and will follow orders like a good soldier of your nation? Maybe you have some personal belief that makes you fight and being a member of ZAFT helps you achieve whatever your belief happens to be. Or could it be someone is forcing you to fight even when you don't want to be? This is something that only you know the answer to," said Naruto seriously, before looking back at some of the data Epyon just sent him.

"Now go, the Minerva will be leaving soon," ordered Naruto. Luna just nodded her head and slowly left the hangar.

Many thoughts crossed her mind as she though over what her Commander has just told her. She would have much to think about during the Battle against ORB.

**Minerva**

ZAFT had started their attack on the ORB nation and as predicted, they were pushing the ORB forces back. Despite ORB's incredible military power, they had a hard time standing up against ZAFT, because their hearts just weren't in it. If something didn't occur soon then the nation of ORB would be destroyed.

"I think it would be best if I launch," said Rey, as he prepared to leave, but was stopped by Shinn.

"No, if anyone is going to destroy ORB then it is going to be me," said Shinn angrily, as he stood up and brushed right past Rey.

Luna watched them both curiously, before her thoughts turned inward. She was still thinking about Naruto's words and they were troubling her greatly.

'Why do I fight?' wondered Luna. This is a question that would continue to plague her during the whole battle.

**Battle of ORB**

Naruto watched the Battle of ORB with an impassive look on his face. If there was one thing he could say about this nation, was it reminded him slightly of Konoha, because just when it seemed all hope was lost, they all started to fight even harder once there true leader had arrived. The flames in their hearts had been reignited and now ZAFT was the one being pushed back.

He was even more impressed by the sight of the new Gundam that Cagalli was piloting. The ORB-1 Akatsuki, that particular name brought up bad memories, but it was a fitting name for the Gundam as it had brought hope back to the ORB forces and a red dawn to the approaching ZAFT forces. Its abilities weren't all that impressive, but sometimes a little hope is far better then having a weapon of mass destruction.

'Perhaps ORB possesses the _will of fire_ after all,' thought Naruto, as he watched them continue to push back the ZAFT forces.

He sensed a familiar presence, glanced over to where the Minerva was located, and watched as the Destiny launched. Now, the true test for ORB's survival would begin and it was time to see how they would deal with this new foe. Despite the fact that Naruto didn't think Shinn deserved to wield such a weapon, there was no denying that the boy was a formidable opponent while in that Gundam.

'Hmm, so you have come as well,' thought Naruto, as his senses went off again, and he looked up to the sky where he could clearly see the Freedom and Justice entering the atmosphere.

He could hear Epyon's mental call to him and knew it wanted to join the battle, but Naruto calmed it down by reassuring that it would get its chance. There would still be one last battle after this one, Naruto hoped the pilot of the Freedom, and Athrun were ready.

'Looks like ORB will survive after all. I will see you soon Freedom and Justice,' thought Naruto before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.


	27. Chapter 27

"It is nice to finally meet you Meer-san," smiled Lacus, as she approached the girl with a friendly smile.

"Lacus-sama," gasped Meer in awe of meeting the woman in person. What surprised her even more was the fact that Lacus held no ill will or anything in her eyes, as she held out her hand to her.

"I know you are probably wondering why I am not upset or anything, but the truth is, it is not my place to judge you. We all have our own reasons for doing things," smiled Lacus, as she answered Meer's unasked question.

"I'm sorry," apologized Meer with tears brimming her eyes before bowing respectfully to Lacus.

"Please, there is no need to apologize, we are all friends here," smiled Lacus before offering the girl her hand once more. Meer quickly wiped her eyes and slowly took Lacus's hand in her own.

"Thank you," smiled Meer. Lacus returned the smile, but both women didn't say anything more as the Freedom and Justice returned from battle.

**Gibraltar Base**

'I failed, I let that monster get away,' thought Luna, as she hugged her legs to her chest.

She was given one task during the whole battle and that was to stop the Saran shuttle from getting to outer space, but she had failed. Out of all the times to fail, why did it have to be during something so important as capturing Lord Djibril? Now the war would continue and it would be in part her fault.

"This sulking doesn't suit you," said a familiar voice. Luna looked up and was shocked to see her Commander standing in front of her with a disapproving look in his eyes.

"Anything that happens from this point forward is partially my fault," whispered Luna before wiping her eyes and refusing to look Commander Uzumaki in the eyes. After everything he had done for, how helped her become a better pilot that people were starting to look up to, she had failed him in the worse way.

"I remember the first mission I truly failed," said Naruto, as he took a seat next to Luna. The girl still wasn't looking at him so he continued to speak anyway and maybe by the time he was done she would be able to forgive herself.

"It was to rescue my best friend because he had been captured by a group of people. Well, that's what my team and I were told, but the truth was, he had turned traitor and was heading to the enemy's side," continued Naruto. Luna now gave Naruto her full attention because she had never once heard speak of his personal life.

"I was very sure of myself back then and thought I was invincible. I was just so sure that I could catch up to him and beat some sense into him," Naruto said with a shake of his head.

"Anyway, I finally caught up to him, but by then I was alone because the rest of my team had to stay behind and fight off those who had helped him escape. I tried to reason with him and convince him to come back home where all our friends were waiting for us, but he just laughed and told me that he would never return. He called me weak, but I wasn't about to let him go without a fight," said Naruto with a glazed look in his eyes.

"What happened?" asked Luna curiously.

"He beat me, because I couldn't go for the killing blow. I had the opportunity to strike him down, but he was like a brother to me and I just couldn't do it. I let him go believing that I would have another chance to bring him, but it wouldn't be until later, I would learn how foolish I had become," sighed Naruto.

Luna was shocked, because she just couldn't believe that someone had been able to beat Commander Uzumaki. If there was one person she thought to be a beacon of power then it was Commander Uzumaki because no one had managed to be able to beat him.

"A few years later, I received word about him, but to my shock I had also heard of the many deeds he had committed while away. At first, I didn't want to believe he could be capable of them, but I soon accepted the truth and then I started to feel extreme guilt. All those innocent people died because I let him go instead of finishing him off when I had the chance," said Naruto.

"It wasn't your fault though, you can't control what he does," argued Luna before her eyes widened in shock as she realized what she had said. Naruto then did something that shocked the girl. He smiled at her before standing up, and making to leave, but not until he said one last thing.

"That's right, it wasn't my fault because I am not responsible for the choices he made in his life. You may have failed in capturing Djibril, but what he does now isn't your fault because the choices he makes are his own. What matters is you tried your best and that is all," smiled Naruto before leaving Luna to think about what he said.

**Chairman**

"Damn that nation,' cursed Durandal angrily. He had almost succeeded in destroying the only nation that had a chance of disrupting his plans.

That wasn't the only problem though, no, another problem was that boy, Kira Yamato, and that damn Lacus Clyne. They needed to be dealt with swiftly or he had no doubt his plans would fail. The only problem was that Rey and Shinn had both failed to take out the Freedom, especially when the Justice showed up to lend the Freedom its strength.

'It seems I have one last mission for you after all Naruto-san. Show me your true power and destroy the Archangel along with all of its crew,' thought Durandal with a grin before contacting the man.

**Gibraltar Base**

"It is time, are you ready for our last battle my friend?" asked Naruto, as he looked up at Epyon.

He had just received a personal mission from the Chairman to eliminate the Archangel along with all of its crew. Naruto knew the man was using him, but that didn't bother him because he had been waiting for this for quite some time now. This would definitely be his last fight and then he would see his friends again.

He would have to do something underhanded to force the Freedom and Justice fight him at full strength, but that was ok. It would prepare them for dealing with the Chairman after their fight, because the man would no doubt try his own underhanded way of destroying them.

Epyon responded by kneeling down and holding out its hand for Naruto to climb in, but just as he was about to step onto it he stopped. A familiar purple-haired girl popped into his head and he paused in mid-step.

"It seems I have to see someone before I go, but do not worry. I will be back in a few minutes," said Naruto before going to where he knew the girl was located. People may have forgotten how to use their chakra, but that didn't mean it ceased to exist, which is how Naruto was able to locate Luna.

The girl was busy going over some data in the Impulse and was so concentrated with her task that she didn't even know Naruto was there until he announced his presence.

"You seem busy," stated Naruto calmly. Luna jumped in surprise because Commander Uzumaki had just scared the hell out of her and was that an amused look in his eyes.

"That isn't funny, you scared me half to death," glared Luna.

"I apologize, but I wished to give you something before I left," apologized Naruto before reaching into his uniform and pulling out a small disk.

"You are leaving, where are you going?" asked Luna worried.

"I have been given a mission that is highly classified so I can't give you the details, but I wanted you to have this just in case I didn't return," replied Naruto, as he placed the disk in Luna's hand. The girl closed her hand over it gently before looking at Naruto with a confused look in her eyes.

"What do you mean in case you don't return? What is going on?" asked Luna scared. Naruto just smiled sadly, as the girl gripped his uniform and gently removed her hands from him.

"If you should find yourself trapped here and wish to break free, that disk will provide you with what you need to escape and fight for what you believe in. I don't want to see you get hurt while I am gone so think of this is as my way of providing you with protection since I can no longer do it personally," said Naruto softly, before turning to leave. Luna wanted to move, but for some reason, her body was frozen and wasn't responding to her.

Naruto walked about ten feet away before pausing and then looking up at the ceiling with a small smile on his face.

"You have become precious to me and in another life-time, I would have loved to stay with you, but I am just so tired. I hope you can forgive me one day, and maybe the next time we meet, things will be different," smiled Naruto, as he glanced at the girl before leaving the hangar.

"Goodbye Luna," whispered Naruto, but Luna heard him loud and clear. Luna had tears streaming down her face because if she was worried before this broke it for her. Her Commander had never called her by her name in all of the time she had known him and she could tell by his goodbye that she would never see him again.

**Archangel**

"How are you doing?" asked Meer, as she sat down next to Athrun. He was currently sitting on one of the boxes in the hangar while staring up at the Justice.

"You shouldn't ask him that question, he'll say 'I'm fine,' no matter what," smiled Kira, as he entered the hangar with Lacus at his side.

"He is right," smiled Lacus warmly. Meer smiled at that as well because Athrun just rolled his eyes at the two.

"I really am fine, I was just thinking about a few things," said Athrun.

"So Kira isn't the only one wondering about why Mr. Uzumaki didn't show up with ZAFT during the attack on ORB," said Lacus knowingly. Athrun eyes widened before looking over at Kira to see that his friend had been thinking about that as well.

"Naruto-kun," whispered Meer.

"Yeah, out of everyone there I really expected to see him during the attack. He did tell me the next time we would meet it would be in battle," frowned Athrun.

"He told me the same thing before destroying the Freedom and sparing my life," said Kira to the surprise of Athrun.

"I don't know how he did it, but he somehow hacked into my frequency and left that message for me. It was the last thing I saw before I ejected from the cockpit," explained Kira.

"Naruto-kun isn't a bad person, he is just following orders," defended Meer, her eyes pleading for them to understand.

"You are right of course, but there is more to it then that. He doesn't fight because he enjoys it or to follow orders, but so he can obtain what he believes peace to be," said Lacus with a sad smile.

"He fights in hopes that he will find someone that will be able to beat him so he can see his friends again," confirmed Athrun.

"What do you mean?" asked Meer confused.

"It means that he fights in hopes that someone will be able to kill him," explained Kira with a grim look on his face while Meer's eyes widened in horror.

"Yes, he told me as much when I spoke with him. There is so much pain in his eyes and it made me even understand, why he wished to die so badly. I wonder if we would be any different if all the ones we cared about were dead," said Lacus softly, before leaning closer to Kira.

They didn't get to say anything else when Murrue's voice came over the intercom and asked Kira and Athrun to report to the bridge immediately. Kira and Athrun looked at each other confused, but quickly made their way to the bridge.

When they got there their eyes widened in shock when they recognized a familiar face on the main monitor. It was the man they were just talking about and he was looking at them with a hard look in his eyes.

"Naruto-kun," smiled Meer, but went silent when Naruto just ignored her and started to speak.

"Athrun Zala, Kira Yamato, I am requesting you meet with me at this location as soon as possible and bring your Gundams with you," said Naruto.

"What?" gasped Kira.

"If you don't meet my request I will attack ORB and finish what was started less then a day ago. I am sending the coordinates to you now and I am giving you both an hour to arrive," finished Naruto coldly.

"You would really target civilians?" asked Lacus with a sad look in her eyes.

"I am giving you both an hour otherwise, I will attack ORB, and I am sure you are both aware that with Epyon and I will not fail to bring it to its knees," replied Naruto before closing the link.

"Naruto-kun," cried Meer, as she fell to her knees with tears streaming down her face. She had never seen him act so cold and she knew him before he started to accept his emotions again. Athrun quickly knelt down and held the crying girl while she hugged him tightly with her head buried in his chest.

"Athrun, Kira, you must go," said Lacus to the surprise of both young men.

"Lacus," said Kira, but stopped when the girl he loved just smiled at him sadly.

"I don't think he will attack ORB, but I do believe you both owe it to him to go out there and meet with him. He has saved both of your lives and the least you can do is meet with him," explained Lacus.

"You do realize that Commander Uzumaki will attack them the moment they arrive," said Murrue seriously.

"Yes, but it is my hope that Athrun and Kira will be able to talk to him and maybe make him see that life isn't as bad as he sees it," smiled Lacus.

"I'll be launching, there a few things that I need answered, and only he can supply with the answers," said Athrun with a hard look in his eyes.

"Athrun-kun," whispered Meer in shock, but Athrun just smiled down at the girl.

"Don't worry Meer, I promise I will do my best to bring Naruto so that you can see him again," reassured Athrun.

"I'll be going as well, we just got you back Athrun, and I won't lose you again," smiled Kira.

"Be careful you two, and return to us safely," whispered Lacus, as she hugged Kira lightly. Both of them nodded before leaving the bridge and making their way to their respective Gundams.

**Naruto**

Naruto calmly watched as the sun rose in the distance and couldn't help but admire the sight because it truly was beautiful. He could still remember when he used to sit on the Yondaime's head in Konoha and watch the sunrise. The village of Konoha seemed to become even more magnificent as the first rays of the sun hit it. It was one of the many things he had missed ever since the Elemental Countries ceased to exist and in their place rose a whole new world.

He didn't get to think much more on the matter when two beeping sounds went off in his cockpit and there heading towards him were the two people he had been waiting for. The Freedom and Justice flew towards him with the sun rising behind them and it made them look beautiful.

'It is true, that some of the most beautiful things in the world are the things with the power to cause so much death and destruction. Then again, these particular models of Gundam were built for the purpose to protect, which is probably why they seemed to glow even brighter then their predecessors,' thought Naruto.

Epyon's eyes shined a bright emerald green before taking off into the air straight at the approaching Freedom and Justice. Naruto's eyes hardened and he only one thought entered his mind.

'I will see you soon my friends, one way, or another,' thought Naruto, as Epyon drew its heat rod.


	28. Chapter 28

"Damn it," cursed Athrun, as he and Kira were forced to dodge out of the way or be hit by Epyon's heat rod.

"Looks like he doesn't want to give us time to talk," frowned Kira before drawing his two high-energy beam rifles and firing at Epyon to buy them some time.

Epyon dodged out of the way of the blasts before turning around with its beam saber drawn to parry the strike from the Justice, which had come up behind it.

"Commander, please stop this," pleaded Athrun, as he struggled to hold Epyon off.

"I told you the next time we met it would be in battle and not to disappoint me," replied Naruto before overpowering the Justice and then delivering a quick spin kick, but the Justice raised its shield in time to block the blow.

Justice may have blocked the blow, but the power behind it still sent the Justice flying backwards. Epyon didn't have the opportunity to capitalize on the opening when the Freedom fired all its rails cannons at Naruto.

"Please, we do not wish to fight you," said Kira calmly. Epyon shot straight up into the air and dodged the beams, but wasn't able to dodge out of the way of the beam boomerang that Justice threw at it. Naruto grunted in pain as the beam boomerang collided with Epyon's chest and sent him sailing backwards.

"It seems I underestimated the power of your mobile suits and your skills, but I assure you from now on, I will no longer make that mistake," said Naruto before activating the ZERO system. He usually wouldn't have to activate the system so early, but he knew that even though Epyon had agreed to fight with him one last time, the Gundam was not at full power because he no longer fought without any emotions.

"I understand, why you want to fight us, but surely there is something or someone who is worth living for," replied Athrun.

"Perhaps, but I am tired of all the battles and wars. I merely wish to see my friend again that is all," smiled Naruto sadly, before moving at speeds that shocked Athrun and Kira.

The Freedom barely got out of the way in time to avoid Epyon's beam saber, but wasn't able to dodge the follow up heat rod that destroyed both of its rail cannons. Kira grunted in pain, which caused Athrun to snap into action by drawing its twin beam sabers and flying straight at Epyon.

"What about Meer? You can't tell me you don't care for her after all you did to make sure she got away from the Chairman safely," argued Athrun, as he charged at Epyon with the intent to disable it.

Kira saw Epyon was about to duck under the strike so immediately combined its two beam rifles then fired upon Epyon. Naruto sensed the beam coming at him and was forced to dodge to the side, but his momentary lapse in concentration allowed the Justice to score a glancing blow on Epyon.

"Better, but you are both still holding back," said Naruto, as he floated off to the side in front of the Freedom and Justice.

"We won't give you what you want," said Kira firmly.

"Commander, please, don't make us fight you," said Athrun, as he floated next to Kira in front of Naruto.

"If it makes you feel any better, I am sorry for making you do this, but only you two have the power to beat me so this is what I must do," replied Naruto before spinning its heat rod around then charging right at the Freedom and Justice.

The three Gundams continued to battle while elsewhere another player in the war was planning the destruction of the PLANTs.

**Earth's Lunar Base: Far Side of the Base**

"Lord Djibril, we did not expect to see you so soon," saluted the General along with the rest of the soldiers.

"Yes, well, that damn Durandal forced me to escape from Earth sooner then I anticipated. I plan on having my revenge though and I will need the power of the Requiem to make it happen," grinned Djibril.

"I am glad to hear that, it has always been a great worry of mine that we were instructed to build this weapon, and then its power would be wasted when they decided to not use it," smiled the General.

"Just tell me whether it is ready to be fired or not," ordered Djibril impatiently.

"The weapon itself is fully operational, but it will take some time before the colonies are in position and for it to charge up," answered the General.

"Perfect, I want you to target the capital of the PLANTs, and make sure to do whatever it takes to get it done quickly," smirked Djibril.

**Epyon vs Freedom & Justice**

Epyon landed on the ground and quickly did a back flip as a beam created a small crater in the spot it was just in. Naruto noticed the Justice coming up behind it and quickly slammed Epyon's hands into the ground and used all its strength to pull out a large boulder. The Justice had no time to dodge as Epyon slammed a huge boulder, which was easily the size of a mobile suit, right into it.

"Ahhh!" screamed Athrun in pain, as his cockpit went on the fritz from the hit. Justice slammed into the ground and took some time getting back up from the powerful blow.

"Athrun," yelled Kira before drawing his beam saber and charging down at Epyon. Epyon quickly spun around and caught Freedom's arm before flipping the Gundam over its back and slamming it into the ground.

Epyon then went for the finishing blow, but was knocked backward when Justice's shield knocked it backwards. Naruto gritted his teeth in pain before quickly regaining his balance.

"Are you ok Kira?" asked Athrun, as he tried to control his heavy breathing. The Freedom slowly stood up before Kira let Athrun know he was ok.

"Yeah, I am fine," panted Kira.

"It has been a long time since I have truly enjoyed a fight like this," said Naruto, causing Kira and Athrun to look at him incredulously.

"Commander?" asked Athrun confused.

"I remember, I used to love fighting, and testing my skills against my friends as we each pushed each other to grow stronger," explained Naruto with a wistful smile, as he could just picture Lee yelling about the flames of youth.

"You two probably don't understand, but you can't deny the adrenaline rush and thrill you have been getting during this fight. If you truly did not want to fight then you wouldn't have started to go on the offensive. A part of you is enjoying this," said Naruto with a small smirk.

Kira and Athrun both started to relax and a small smile appeared on each of their faces because they couldn't deny what the man was saying. It did feel good to test their abilities without being in a life or death situation for once. At first, the fight seemed to be a life and death battle, but now, it was like a friendly spar where each of them was pushing the other to their limits.

"Come on you two, show me what you can truly do," smiled Naruto before charging right at them.

The Freedom shot up into the air and the Justice dodged to the side, but neither of them were prepared when Epyon used its heat rod to grab Justice's shield that was lying on the ground and flung it right up at the Freedom as it prepared to fire upon Epyon. The shield deflected the beams before slamming right into Freedom's chest while Epyon engaged Justice in a saber fight.

"I know I asked you this before Commander, but why did you save during the last battle?" asked Athrun, as the two Gundam's pushed against each other. Epyon performed a quick leg sweep that knocked the Justice to the ground.

Naruto then kicked the thrusters on to full blast to avoid the beams fired at him from Freedom so that he couldn't capitalize on his blow to the Justice. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to react quick enough and before he could draw his heat rod, the Freedom used its beam saber to stab right through Epyon's left arm. It was an accomplishment short lived when Naruto grabbed Freedom's wrist then twisted it viciously, which completely disabled Freedom's right arm.

The two Gundams broke apart and Naruto was forced to rip out Epyon's left arm at the elbow. Now Epyon only had one arm, but that wouldn't stop Naruto as he had fought in worse conditions.

"If you don't mind sir, I would also like to know why you saved my life as well," said Kira, as he floated in front of Epyon.

"You shouldn't let something so trivial distract you in a battle," sighed Naruto, as he allowed the two to take a break.

"If you had let us die or killed us when you had the opportunity then we wouldn't even be having this battle so I don't think it is a trivial issue," replied Kira.

"There had to be a reason Commander," said Athrun, as he floated up in the air next to the Freedom.

"You two are becoming most troublesome," said Naruto with a small smile.

**Archangel**

"Incredible, I always knew Captain Uzumaki was one of the best, but his skills are far beyond anything I could imagine," said Murrue in awe.

"They are all enjoying the fight," smiled Lacus, causing everyone to look at her curiously.

"Athrun and Kira, have always fought to protect or destroy something and never just to enjoy it. The beginning of the fight was the same way, but now it is just to test each other's limits," explained Lacus with a warm smile.

"I see what you mean, and I believe you are right," agreed Murrue with a small smile of her own.

"I just hope Athrun-kun and Naruto-kun will be ok," whispered Meer with a worried look in her eyes.

"They will be fine, and I believe this is good for Kira and Athrun. It helps them realize that not all fighting has to be bad and something horrible," reassured Lacus.

**Epyon vs. Freedom & Justice**

Athrun screamed in pain when Epyon turned its beam saber on to full power and easily cut through his own beam saber. The Justice now sported a large gash across its chest before it was kicked down into the ground. The Freedom caught the Justice before it slammed into the ground while Epyon looked down at them both.

"If I tell you why I saved your lives will you start to fight again? It is no fun when you just stand there and let me beat you," sighed Naruto before landing on the ground, as soft as a mobile suit possibly could.

"No promises on that," smiled Kira, which caused Naruto to shake his head at the two. This battle was nothing like he wanted it to be, but the funny thing was that Epyon and him were still enjoying it immensely.

"The reason I saved you both was because you both remind me of how I used to be," admitted Naruto to the surprise of the two boys.

"I used to fight to protect those precious to me and so I spared you because I couldn't strike down two people who fought to protect those precious to them," explained Naruto. Athrun and Kira were about to say something, but stopped when Epyon clutched its head in pain with its good arm.

"No," gasped Naruto, as he just received a vision of millions of people screaming out in pain.

"What is going on?" asked Kira, as Epyon started to radiate a malicious aura. Athrun's eyes widened in horror when Epyon's left arm grew back good as new and its eyes started to glow bright red.

Kira and Athrun had no time to react when Epyon blurred out of existence and then slammed into each of them, and knocking them backwards while taking each of their shields. They then watched in awe as Epyon's took off into the sky at impossible speeds and straight into outer space.

**Archangel**

"What just happened?" gasped Murrue in shock. There was no way she could have seen what she just saw.

"Something is wrong, Captain, please have Kira and Athrun return to the Archangel immediately," said Lacus with a worried look in her eyes.

"Naruto-kun, what is happening?" whispered Meer in confusion.

**Earth Lunar Base: Far Side of the Moon**

"Requiem is ready to fire sir," reported the General. Lord Djibril started to laugh with an insane glint in his eyes as he reached down to grab the controller.

"It is time I play a Requiem for you and all your kind," grinned Lord Djibril before pressing the trigger and firing Requiem right at the PLANTs.

**ZAFT and Earth Forces**

"What the hell is going on?" demanded Yzak, as he detected a high-energy concentration coming from the far side of the moon.

"The beam, its bending," gasped Dearka in disbelief. Everyone watched as the powerful beam bended several times before it headed in a direction that made all of the ZAFT forces eyes widened in horror.

"No, it's heading for the PLANTs," screamed Yzak in horror.

The Requiem beam headed straight for the PLANTs and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. At least, that is what everyone believed until a mobile suit surrounded by a red malicious aura appeared in front of the PLANTs with a shield in each hand, and nine tails floating behind it?

"**I won't allow you to strike down innocent people," **growled Naruto, as his eyes turned blood red with a black slit for pupils.

The Requiem beam collided against Epyon and shocked all those watching as it wasn't destroyed, but was actually holding the beam off.

"No way," gasped Dearka in awe.

All of the ZAFT forces watched with hope filled eyes and prayed that Epyon would be able to hold the beam off, but their hope started to dim when Epyon was slowly being pushed back. The armor on Epyon started to crack and the shields in its hands started to disintegrate from the powerful beam.

'I can't hold it,' thought Naruto in horror, as he was slowly pushed back and he drew closer to the PLANTs.

'No,' thought Naruto as his eyes hardened. If he was going to die here then he would make sure he protected these people before he perished. No matter what, he was not going to let millions of people die because he had grown weak.

"**Please Epyon, I know you don't fight to protect, but lend me your strength!" **yelled Naruto before pouring everything he had into one final push. A loud roar was heard throughout space and a large fox head appeared above Epyon before slamming into the blast.

A second later, a large explosion occurred and the blast was so huge that all those watching the scene were forced to turn their heads. When it finally died down, they all turned to see that the PLANTs were unharmed, but the same could not be said of Epyon.

The demonic Gundam floated in front of the plants with both arms missing and the rest of its armor completely cracked. It started to glow red every few seconds, as if it were ticking down before it exploded.

"**They** are** safe,"** smiled Naruto, before Epyon blew up with him still inside it. The greatest warrior to ever live had finally obtained his peace.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**O.O Dun Dun Dun!! What happens now? What happens! /screams loudly in hopes to receive the answer. lol :P sexy out .**


	29. Chapter 29

"Commander," whispered Luna before punching the wall nearest her. She had found out less then three hours ago, that Commander Uzumaki had died protecting the PLANTs from an Earth Forces weapon call Requiem.

When she first heard what happened she had refused to believe it. Her mind just refused to accept the fact that the man she had come to have deep feelings for was gone, but then she saw the footage. She stood there and watched as he did the impossible then instead of surviving through it like he always did, his Gundam exploded. Luna never remembered crying so hard in her life, but quickly snapped out of it when she received word that the Minerva would be helping the ZAFT forces assault on the Earth's lunar base.

Luna's eyes hardened as they approached the base because this time she wouldn't fail. She would make sure she destroyed that bastard Djibril and make him pay for taking away Commander Uzumaki from her. If anyone tried to get in her way then she would just have to deal with him or her as well.

**Archangel**

"Meer," whispered Athrun softly, as he entered the room. He knew the girl was awake because he could see her body shaking slightly as she continued to cry.

"Meer, come on, you can't hide in here forever," said Athrun, as he placed a hand on her causing the girl to stiffen slightly. Meer quickly wiped her eyes before sitting up and looking at Athrun with red eyes while her cheeks were stained with tears.

"Why did he have to die? Why did he have to go?" sniffed Meer, as fresh tears fell from her eyes.

"I don't know, but I believe this is the way he truly wanted to die," said Athrun with a small smile. Meer looked at him confused and begging him to explain it to her.

"When Kira and I were fighting with him, we noticed that as the fight went on, he didn't seem to care about dying anymore. It was strange, but even I started to enjoy the fight and I honestly didn't want it to end," explained Athrun.

"I don't think he wanted to die fighting anymore. I believe that he probably was more at peace protecting innocent people then fighting," smiled Athrun, as Meer thought over what he said.

"I miss him so much," whispered Meer, as she leaned her head on Athrun's shoulder. Athrun put an arm around Meer and let the girl rest on him with a sad look in his eyes as well.

"So do I," said Athrun, as he tightened his grip around Meer and she buried her head further into his chest.

**Battle of Daedalus**

ZAFT had finally commenced their attack on the Earth Base on the far side of the moon and leading the charge was the Legend, Destiny, and too many people's surprise, the Impulse.

'I will destroy you all,' thought Luna, as she drew the Impulse's beam saber and started to destroy every mobile suit and armor that got in her way. The ZERO system was activated and data was being fed to her at insane rates, which let her take out any enemy faster then anyone thought possible.

Even Rey and Shinn, were not even close to take out as many as the enemies as Luna had in the Impulse. Three Destroy Gundams blocked the Minerva's path, but that didn't stop Luna.

"Get out of my way," yelled Luna angrily, as she flew right at the Destroy Gundams. The ZERO easily told her the easiest way to take out the Gundams, which she did without hesitation.

The Impulse grabbed the first Destroy Gundam and turned it at one of its allies just as it was about to fire. Once it had destroyed the one of the right of it, Luna then stabbed her beam saber through its cockpit, and then quickly headed straight for the base up ahead. She let Rey and Shinn deal with the last one because she had more important matters to deal with then some foolish mobile suits that were stupid enough to get in her way.

**Requiem**

"Sir, they are breaking through our lines of defense. We won't be able to hold them much longer," reported a soldier.

"Damn it, is the Requiem ready to fire again?" growled Djibril angrily.

"At it's current power it won't even reach past the first relay point," said the General with a frown.

"That's fine, fire it now to get rid of all the ZAFT forces at the first relay point that way we can escape. So long as I am alive we can continue our goals to destroy those damn Coordinators," grinned Djibril. The General just nodded his mean before ordering his men to fire the Requiem and then they both left so that could escape safely.

**Luna**

"Where are you?" muttered Luna, as she flew into the base, and started to destroy every ship and mobile suit.

She was systematically making her way through the base as the ZERO gave her a complete layout and pointed out all possible exits of escape. There was no way she was going to let that bastard Djibril escape a second time. Not after what happened to Naruto, but before she could continue to destroy the exits, she detected a large high-energy, and knew that they were planning to fire the Requiem again.

Luna was not going to allow that to happen again and made her way to the control center. It didn't take her to long to get there with the ZERO guiding her and quickly raised her beam rifle at all those within the center. They didn't even get a chance to scream or surrender before the Impulse fired several shots and completely destroyed the center.

"You're next Djibril," smiled Luna with a hysterical look in her eyes. The ZERO didn't take long to provide Luna with what she wanted and soon the girl was racing outside the base.

Djibril was about to escape in the Girty Lue and was already thinking of a new way to destroy the Coordinators along with the PLANTs. He could already see himself finally destroy all those damn Coordinators, but that dream was interrupted when the engines on his ship were destroyed. His eyes widened in horror when a Gundam appeared in front of him with its beam saber raised high above its head.

"Time for you to die for what you did," yelled Luna, but right before she swung downward, she received a vision that made her eyes go wide.

_Flashback_

"_If you want to master the ZERO system, there is one thing you must always remember," said Naruto suddenly, as he turned to face Luna completely._

"_Um, what is that?" asked Luna curiously. Damn him for changing the subject like that and damn her for letting him._

"_You must always remember who you are. The ZERO will attempt to make you into the perfect soldier by erasing your personality and replacing it with one that will be better suited for battle," started Naruto, as Luna paid rapt attention._

"_Do not let yourself become someone or something you aren't. Remember who you are and don't let anyone or thing take that from you. Do you understand?" said Naruto seriously._

_End Flashback_

"Remember who I am," whispered Luna, as she lowered her beam saber. This wasn't who she was, this taking her anger out on people, and wanting revenge.

"_Don't let yourself become someone you're not. Remember who you are," said Naruto._

"Commander, I am so sorry," whispered Luna, as tears streamed down her face. She quickly wiped her eyes then reported to the Minerva that she had captured the Girty Lue and Djibril.

**Unknown**

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing here? These and many more thoughts floated through a familiar blond-haired ninja as he floated in nothingness. His thoughts all stopped suddenly when he landed on something hard. It was then all his memories returned to him and he slowly sat up.

"Ugh, what is this place?" muttered Naruto, as he slowly stood up, and looked around at his surroundings.

It looked so familiar, and in fact, it looked like the same place where he used to speak with, but didn't get to finish his thought when a familiar voice interrupted them.

"Hello Naruto-kun," said a beautiful voice, which caused Naruto to turn around with wide eyes and found himself staring into a pair of eyes he hadn't seen in over two thousands years.


	30. Chapter 30

"Does this mean I am dead?" asked Naruto hopefully.

"Hmm, is that what you truly want, to be dead?" replied the beautiful woman with long flowing black hair.

"Of course, it means I finally get to be with you and all the others," said Naruto with a hint of anger.

The woman just smiled sadly at him before raising her hand and caressing his cheek. Naruto closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth of her touch because it had been so long since he had allowed another to touch him so intimately.

"My Naruto-kun, what has happened to you?" asked the woman with a sad look in her eyes.

"I just want to be with my friends and family, I'm tired of being alone," whispered Naruto with a pain look in his eyes.

"We have always been with you, just because you can't see or hear us doesn't mean we aren't with you," smiled the woman.

"You aren't going to let me join you and the others are you Hinata-chan?" said Naruto with a knowing look in his eyes as his fists clenched in anger.

"No, I am not Naruto-kun, it is not your time yet," apologized Hinata, as she took a step backwards.

**Archangel**

Lacus, Kira, Murrue, Athrun, Meer, and the rest of the Archangel crew were all listening to Durandal speak. The Chairman had finally revealed his Destiny Plan to everyone, but that wasn't what got their attention. They already knew about the Destiny Plan so that was no surprise to them, but what did anger them was how the Chairman was using Naruto's death as propaganda to rally others to his ideas.

He started his speech telling how brave a soldier Commander Uzumaki was and how the PLANTs were in debt to his sacrifice. Then Durandal went on to say Naruto would support him in his goal to finally end all wars, which is why he was about to put his Destiny Plan into motion.

"I can't believe I ever willingly helped that monster," glared Meer angrily.

"He is making a mockery of Commander Uzumaki's sacrifice," said Athrun, as his fist clenched in anger.

"We can't let him enact this plan, and control everyone as if they were merely pawns for him to use," said Lacus with a hint of anger. Never had anyone really seen Lacus ever show anything but kindness and warmth so it was a surprise to them to see her with such an angry look in her eyes.

"First we have to destroy those relay points otherwise he will use Requiem to destroy ORB and then all hope will definitely be lost," said Kira with a hard look in his eyes.

**ZAFT**

"I don't know what you gave me Commander, but after hearing the Chairman I can no longer stay with ZAFT," said Luna, as she looked at the disk in her hands.

It was the same disk that Commander Uzumaki gave to her before he left on that last mission that got him killed. She hadn't looked at it because a part of her was scared to see what was on it, but after listening to the Chairman's speech she decided it was time to stop being scared.

Taking a deep breath, Luna opened up her laptop, and popped the disk into it. She didn't have to wait long before it started to load and Luna's eyes widened as she started to read the information on it.

"Lacus Clyne project, Destiny Plans, Phantom Pain units, my god," gasped Luna, as her eyes widened to saucers. This disk contained all the classified information that Naruto had gathered while staying in ZAFT.

"Wait a minute, what is this? ZERO Project? What is that?" wondered Luna before clicking on that folder.

The moment she clicked on it, several blue prints of what could only be a Gundam appeared on her screen, and Luna recognized it as the Wing Zero Gundam from the first war.

"No, this isn't Wing Zero, it is another Gundam, but the Commander never mentioned anything about ZAFT trying to recreate the Wing Zero," frowned Luna, as she dug further into the folder.

"Wing Gundam, secret project, Gundam created in attempts to recreate the power of Wing Zero," gasped Luna.

'Did the Commander want me to steal this Gundam and become its pilot?' thought Luna with a frown. How would she steal a Gundam like this from one of ZAFT's most guarded facility?

"Wait a minute, I could use the ZERO system to run through several simulations to find the best way to infiltrate the facility," smiled Luna, before grabbing her laptop and heading to the Impulse. She had some planning to do and she had to do it quickly. It was a good thing that Minerva had decided to return to ZAFT's main base where the Wing Gundam was located or it might have been impossible to come up with any plan to steal the secret Gundam.

**Unknown Area**

"What do you mean it isn't my time? I died, there is no way I could have survived," yelled Naruto angrily.

"Are you so sure, because I have seen your survive some pretty bad situations before," smiled Hinata with an amused look in her eyes.

"Fine, if I am not dead that I will kill myself right now," growled Naruto angrily before making a clone of himself and watching as the clone make a blade of wind. Once the clone had finished making a blade of wind it charged right at Naruto, but before it could pierce him through his heart, it stopped millimeters from where his heart was located.

"Can't do it can you?" smiled Hinata, as she came up to him with a knowing look in her eyes.

"Do you know why you can't do it?" asked Hinata, as Naruto looked at the ground while the clone continued to hold the wind blade in front of his heart.

"It is because you fear death," said Hinata calmly, causing Naruto to look at her with wide eyes.

"That's," started Naruto, but stopped when Hinata destroyed his clone and stepped up to him so that their bodies were mere inches apart.

"You have tried so hard to hide it, but deep down, you fear dying because you fear after all you have done that you won't be accepted by the ones you love once you finally meet with us again," smiled Hinata.

"Your whole life you have always focused on what you failed to accomplish or the mistakes and bad choices you made. So lost in your guilt, you have feared meeting me and all the others again because you believe we will reject you for what you have done," explained Hinata with a sad smile.

"Hinata-chan, I was a fool to think I would ever get the chance to be with you or any of the others once I died. I have committed too many evil deeds that I can never make up for," whispered Naruto, but a loud slapping sound was heard and Naruto looked at Hinata in shock. There was a large red mark on his cheek where she had just hit him and Hinata started to glare at him angrily.

"How can you say such things? After all you have done, how can you dare think you are a bad person? Did that girl not explain to you all the good deeds you committed during your current stay with ZAFT?" yelled Hinata barely containing her rage. Naruto looked at her curious because he didn't ever remember telling her about his recent activities.

"I have been watching over you Naruto-kun, I know all about what has occurred in your long life, and I assure you that you have done more good then you give yourself credit for," said Hinata, as she calmed down.

"You brought peace to the Elemental Countries for over 300 years and for 900 years after that you fought desperately to bring peace to the world," smiled Hinata with a proud look in her eyes.

"Yes, but then I just gave up and caused the deaths of thousands all because I chose not to care anymore. Someone as selfish as me doesn't deserve to be in a place with you and the others," argued Naruto fiercely.

"Oh, so because you killed soldiers and warriors of an opposing side that makes you a bad person? Then I guess I am an even worse person then you because you seemed to forget that I along with several of our friends were in the ANBU. We killed many people merely because someone paid us to and not all of them were ninja," argued Hinata calmly.

"That's different," started Naruto, but stopped when Hinata merely raised her eyebrow as if to challenge him to come up with a good reason why it was so different.

"Naruto-kun, you can not compare yourself to others of this time when you were raised very differently. You are ninja, a trained assassin, you have been learning how to fight and kill since you were three. It is foolish of you to compare yourself to the morals of today's society when you were not born part of this age and time," smiled Hinata.

Naruto couldn't refute that point because he knew it was true. In fact, as the Hokage, he had given missions that ordered for the death of entire clans or civilians to better protect his village. All leaders had to make such choices especially during times of war because your enemies would just use your kindness against you.

"You are right as usual Hinata-chan, but I need to know, will I ever be able to join you and the others?" asked Naruto. Hinata just smiled at him before answering the question that he so desperately wanted the answer to.


	31. Chapter 31

"Is this everything?" asked Durandal.

"Yes sir, we swept the area several times and this is everything we could find. I am sorry sir, but there is no way to rebuild it," replied the soldier.

Durandal walked over to the pile of parts and stopped when he reached a familiar looking demonic head. He had hoped to get rid of Naruto in a different manner and find someone who would be able to pilot Epyon in his place, but it seemed that wouldn't be possible anymore. It was a pity really, because Durandal would have much rather had a few thousand Coordinators die, then lose such a powerful weapon like Epyon.

Oh well, he would just have to what parts he could to help finishing building the prototype to the future Wing Zero Gundam he was attempting to recreate. He was sure that they could replicate the armor from Epyon's many parts to make it even stronger then it was now, which is what he would have the scientist working on while he dealt with ORB as they would no doubt reject his Destiny Plan that he was about to propose to the world.

"Thank you, but rebuilding it is not my top priority at the moment. You are dismissed," smiled Durandal. The ZAFT soldier just saluted the Chairman before leaving the hangar so that Chairman would be alone.

"You were far more powerful then I imagined, and I thank you for wasting your life in such a way because it might have been much harder to get rid of you if I had to do so myself. Perhaps I should pay a visit to Djibril and thank him, since he is responsible for your death," said Durandal with a small chuckle before taking his leave.

**Unknown Area**

"Naruto-kun, you don't need to be here to be with us, didn't I explain that earlier?" smiled Hinata, causing Naruto to glare at her lightly.

"I hate when you change the subject," glared Naruto, but there was a playful glint in his eyes that showed he had missed doing this with Hinata.

"Aww my poor Naruto-kun, so many things have changed, but then again, there is so much that hasn't changed. I must admit, I have missed being able to gaze into your beautiful eyes," said Hinata with a beautiful smile before gently touching his cheeks.

"You still haven't answered my question," smiled Naruto, as he leaned into her touch.

"Would you please remove your genjutsu? I want to see the true you," smiled Hinata, as she stalled for some more time with the only man she ever loved.

Naruto just nodded his head before releasing a small burst of chakra from his body and soon he started to change. Three whiskers appeared on each cheek and though they weren't visible because of his clothes, many scars started to show up on his body, and would let anyone who saw them know that he had been through many battles and wars.

"As handsome as ever, Naruto-kun," giggled Hinata, which caused Naruto to roll his eyes at the young woman.

"Will you please answer my question now?" asked Naruto with a bit of impatience.

"Very well," sighed Hinata before taking a step back and looking at Naruto with a sad look in her eyes.

"It is possible for you to join us one day Naruto-kun, but not as you are now," answered Hinata, causing Naruto get a pained look in his eyes.

"I understand," said Naruto with a defeated look in his eyes.

"No, you don't, but you will after I explain it to you," smiled Hinata before wrapping her arms him and resting her head against his chest. Naruto stiffened for a second before slowly wrapping his arms around Hinata and resting his head against hers as silent tears rolled down his cheeks.

**ZAFT: Secret Facility**

Luna quietly snuck into the facility and found it quite easy. The Chairman had all available forces preparing to fight the incoming ORB forces that Luna was able to sneak off the Minerva without anyone noticing. She only hoped that her sister could one day forgive her for not letting her know about her actions. Luna loved Meyrin immensely, but this was something she needed to do on her own. Luckily, Minerva wouldn't be heading out until another hour as they were going to protect the first relay point.

There were two ZAFT soldiers standing in front of the compound doors, but they were kind of lounging around, as they didn't expect anything to happen. They had no time to respond when Luna came up behind the one on the right and delivered a swift chop to the back of his neck before she quickly charged the other. The second guard turned around just in time to receive a punch to his stomach followed up by a heel kick to his face.

'Hn, that's two down,' thought Luna with a satisfied look before going over to the locking mechanism that opened and closed the door. She quickly pulled out a small hand held device from within her uniform and connected it to the locking mechanism.

"Come on ZERO, don't let me down," whispered Luna, as she looked around to see if any more guards were coming. A smile appeared on her face when a beeping sound went off and she got the code to open the door. Luna opened the door, snuck in, and then quietly closed the doors.

There was no point in hiding the fallen guards because no one would check on them for another thirty minutes when the next shift came around. Luna had ten minutes to make it underground where they were hiding the Gundam or the password would reset on the doors and ZERO wouldn't be able to help her because its signal would be recognized a second time and set off the alarms.

"I swear this Gundam better be here or I am going to kill the Commander next time I see him," smirked Luna before taking off through the compound.

**Naruto & Hinata**

"Tell me Naruto, what did Kyuubi fear more then anything else?" asked Hinata, as she reluctantly broke their hug. Naruto's brow furrowed in confusion at the question before answering Hinata.

"The damn fox feared death more then anything else, which is why he was always trying to break free," answered Naruto.

"That's right, but do you know why he feared death?" nodded Hinata with a small smile.

"No idea, but I don't think that really matters since he has been dead ever since I created that seal that merged us together and destroyed his soul in the process," said Naruto.

"Well, the reason Kyuubi feared death was because he was afraid of where he would go and no longer being the all powerful being that he was. Though he may have claimed to be the Lord of Hell, the truth is he had been alive since the dawn of time and had to earn his power over many millenniums. The fox had no idea what hell was like and merely claimed the title just to further people's fear of him," explained Hinata.

"Anyway, he had gained so much power that he could literally prevent himself from ever dying of old age and most fatal wounds. It is a power you inherited when you merged with him," finished Hinata, and waited to see if Naruto understood.

"So, no matter what I do, I will never be able to die?" sighed Naruto, not liking where this was going at all.

"No, you can die, but not until you stop fearing death. You fear death as much as the fox did, but for an entirely different reason. Remember what I said earlier about you worrying about what we would think about you when you saw us again?" said Hinata. Naruto nodded his head and waited for Hinata to explain further because he still didn't understand what she was trying to imply.

"Naruto-kun, don't you see, your own chakra is subconsciously keeping you from dying because of your fear of not being accepted by us if you were to die. It is what is keeping you from dying, and once you finally accept that we will all still love you despite everything that has happened, then you will be able to age like a normal person, and can join us one day, in the future," smiled Hinata. Naruto was stunned because after all this time it was his own chakra that was subconsciously granting him immortality because of his own fears.

"Besides Naruto-kun, there is still a war going on, and if I am correct, there are several people that you have come to care about. You just don't want to leave them behind now when they need you the most do you?" said Hinata with a small smirk.

"What does it matter? Epyon was destroyed so I no longer have anything to fight with and I would be useless to them," sighed Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, your powers are far greater then you imagine, and we both know that Epyon and Wing Zero are far more then just a machine. They are representations of your soul, bonded to you for life, and so long as you live, they live," smiled Hinata.

"I still don't understand how they were able to bond to me in such a deep way," admitted Naruto.

"That is simple, it is because you used your chakra to master the ZERO, which changed the fabric of the entire machine. It shouldn't be too surprising, you have met many ninja and samurai who have infused parts of their souls with their chosen type of weapon in order to make it stronger and part of them," explained Hinata.

"Either way, I don't know if I have the strength or power to fight anymore, I am sure they will be fine without me," said Naruto with a defeated look in his eyes.

"I have faith in you, as do the rest of your friends, you will find a way like always to protect those precious to you," smiled Hinata as she started to fade away.

"Hinata-chan," yelled Naruto, but he passed right through her.

"My time is up Naruto-kun, and it is time for you to return. I hope to see you again, but not anytime soon. Please, for me Naruto-kun, take this second chance to live life to the fullest. Start a family, fight for what you truly believe in, and whatever else you need to be in order to become happy, but please, don't waste this opportunity and don't be scared. We will always love and accept you," smiled Hinata before completely disappearing.

Naruto just watched her disappear before falling to his knees. He couldn't stop the tears from falling, as he once again watched the woman he loved disappear.

**ZAFT: Secret Facility**

"Wow, now that's a mobile suit," gasped Luna, as she turned on the lights and looked up at the Wing Gundam. She stepped over a couple of scientist that she had knocked out and got close to the Wing Gundam to get a better look at it.

It did look eerily similar to the Wing Zero, but she could already tell by looking at it that it did not possess the same capabilities and power as Wing Zero. That didn't matter though, because Luna had no doubt that this Gundam with the right pilot, could go head to head with any other Gundam or mobile suit out there.

"I don't know if I am the right person to be piloting you, but I won't let the Chairman use your power to hurt anyone else. The Commander entrusted you to me and I will make sure to use you to the best of my abilities," said Luna with a determined look in her eyes.

**Minerva**

Meyrin had been looking for her sister everywhere, but she couldn't find her. She knew her sister had been depressed and acting differently since the death of Commander Uzumaki, but she couldn't have just disappeared.

"Maybe I should check the hangar one last time," sighed Meyrin, as she headed in the direction of the hangar. The Impulse should be loaded in the hangar by now and so Luna should be there to make sure they didn't scratch it or anything. Her old sister was a bit possessive when it came to handling anything she considered to be hers.

Meyrin arrived in the hangar to see the Impulse about to come in through the launch pad as the techs cleared the way, but then something happened. The Impulse's eyes came to life and it broke free from the mechanical bindings holding it. No one knew what was going on as the Impulse turned on its thrusters and shot out of the Minerva. It then started to fire upon the ZAFT forces causing a mass panic.

"Luna-nee-chan?" gasped Meyrin in horror.

**Luna**

"I can't believe it worked, the ZERO system truly is as powerful as the Commander said it was," gasped Luna, as she add to the Wing Gundam and then used it to activate the Impulse. She had the Impulse fire down at the soldiers, but made sure that it didn't kill anyone just caused some confusion.

"Now it is time to get out of here and find the Archangel that holds the real Lacus Clyne," smiled Luna. She quickly turned the Wing Gundam on and knew she had to make her escape quickly, because even though she had mastered the Zero system, if she didn't hurry then she would be facing a large contingent of ZAFT forces.

"Wing Gundam, launching," said Luna with a hard look in her eyes before raising the buster rifle and firing it straight up. The blast was so powerful it easily tore through the roof of the compound and gave Luna a clear path to exit.

**Chairman**

"Chairman sir, someone has stole the experimental Gundam from Hangar 51. It along with the Impulse has made their escape and has caused mass damage to our facilities," reported a Commander.

"What? Stop them at once, we can not allow those two Gundam to join with the ORB Forces or worse the Archangel," ordered Durandal angrily.

"Yes sir," saluted the soldier before closing the link.

"How is this possible? The Wing Gundam was supposed to be my ace in the hole should Shinn and Rey fail taking out Athrun and Kira," cursed Durandal with a heavy glare on his face.

**Archangel**

"How much further until we reach the first relay point?" asked Kira from within the Freedom.

"We shall reach it in ten minutes, but we have to hurry because there are a large number of ZAFT forces heading that way as well," answered Murrue.

"This is going to be all about speed from this point on because if we don't destroy that relay point before it gets in to position then you can kiss ORB goodbye," said Neo as he appeared on one of the monitors.

"Captain Murrue, it seems someone has engaged the ZAFT forces," said Lacus, as she appeared on the screen before showing her the video footage.

Everyone on both the Archangel and Eternal eyes widened in shock as the picture zoomed in to show the Impulse and a Gundam that looked remarkably like Wing Zero fighting against the ZAFT forces.

"This is Athrun, I am requesting permission to launch early to help them before ZAFT captures or destroys them," said Athrun. Before anyone could reply to his request, an unfamiliar face appeared on the Eternal and Archangel's monitors.

"Archangel, Eternal, my name is Lunamaria Hawke and I am currently piloting the Wing Gundam you see out there. I know this may be asking a lot, but I beg you to help me get this Gundam away from the Chairman. It was designed to have similar capabilities to the Wing Zero and though it lacks the power of Wing Zero, they have come extremely close to making an exact replicate to it," said Luna as she appeared on the monitors of the Archangel and Eternal.

"I beg of you, please, help me keep this Gundam out of the hands of the Chairman so that he will not be able to create a Gundam with the power to match Wing Zero. Even if you don't trust me, then at least destroy this Gundam and me along with it," pleaded Luna, before she grunted in pain, as several missiles hit her.

"Athrun, Kira, launch at once please, we must not let that Gundam fall back into the hands of the Chairman," ordered Lacus with a hard look in her eyes.

"Right, Freedom launching," replied Kira before taking off.

"Athrun Zala, Justice launching," stated Athrun before taking off right behind the Freedom.

"Launch the METEOR, we must not fail in destroying the relay point and protecting those Gundams," said Lacus.

"You heard her," ordered Andrew loudly.

The final battle had begun and it would be a battle that both sides would remember for years to come.


	32. Chapter 32

"Lunamaria, head to the Archangel with the Wing Gundam and have the Impulse go with you," said Athrun, not bothering to ask her who was piloting the Impulse at the time.

"Right, thanks Athrun," smiled Luna gratefully, before taking off towards the two ships. She had thought Naruto was powerful, but with those METEOR packs, the Freedom and Justice were a force to be reckoned with.

It was a good thing they showed up as well, because despite how good she had become with the ZERO system, it was starting to strain her mentally to control the Impulse and Wing Gundam at the same time. There was also the problem that she could barely control the Wing Gundam. She had underestimated its true capabilities and found herself unprepared to pilot such a powerful Gundam. Her respect for Commander Uzumaki's abilities rose another notch because she imagined Epyon and Wing Zero far outclassed the Wing Gundam and he could pilot both of them without any problems.

"You are clear to land," said Murrue, as she appeared on Luna's monitor.

"Thank you, I will land with the Wing Gundam first," replied Luna before heading towards the landing hatch. In one smooth, quick action, Luna entered the hatch and easily landed without causing any damage.

"I did it, I can't believe I actually pulled that off, and stole two Gundams," said Luna with a bit of disbelief, as the Wing Gundam was locked into place while she let the ZERO land the Impulse. She then shut down the ZERO once the Impulse was locked down as well and opened the cockpit of the Wing.

"Hey girl, who the hell was piloting that other Gundam?" yelled Murdock, as they waited for the pilot to come out.

"It's complicated, but an advanced A.I. computer is currently the pilot of the Impulse," answered Luna honestly, causing them all to look at her as if she was crazy.

"Don't ask, it is a trick Commander Uzumaki taught me before he died," smiled Luna with a sad look in her eyes.

"If you say so girl, but what do you plan on doing now?" shrugged Murdock, as he watched the girl take a seat on one of the many crates in the hangar.

"I don't know, I would like to help, but the Impulse is low on power as it is and I just don't have the skills to pilot that Gundam," sighed Luna. She still had trouble believing that people of ZAFT would really fight for the Chairman's dream of some Destiny Plan.

_Flashback_

"_It has been my experience that people fight for three main reasons," started Naruto, as Luna paid close attention._

"_The first reason someone fights is because of sense of loyalty to one's nation and home. To people who fight using this reason it doesn't matter what monstrosity there nation may cause or what order they may be given, they still follow through with it because that is there home that contains the people they care about. Then again, a person may just have a strong sense of loyalty to whatever they side they are on because they don't believe in abandoning those who have come to rely on them," said Naruto._

_End Flashback_

"Commander, I am still not sure why I fight, but I want to help stop the Chairman from turning people into nothing but mindless drones that do whatever he wants them to," said Luna with a hard look in her eyes.

"Hey, how long do you think it will take for the Impulse to be at full power?" asked Luna, as she ran over to the tech she was talking to earlier.

"Well, you're in luck girl, we have an onboard power source that can fully power up that Gundam with ten minutes or so, but you'll have to get permission from the Captain if you want to launch," smirked Murdock.

"Thank you, I'll go see her now," smiled Luna before heading towards the bridge.

**Battle of First Relay Point of Requiem**

The Freedom and Justice had managed to take out over 75 percent of the ZAFT forces trying to protect the first relay point, but before they could move onto destroying the colony, two ZAKU Phantoms blocked their path.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you bastards are doing here?" demanded Yzak before opening fire upon the Justice.

"Yzak?" said Athrun surprised.

"Calm down Yzak, Athrun is only here to help isn't that right?" smirked Dearka.

"Dearka," grinned Athrun, as the Freedom went on to start destroying the colony.

"I know that you idiot, but that is no excuse. Don't think this is over Athrun, I swear once we are done destroying that colony I am going to kick your ass," grumbled Yzak.

"Right, I look forward to it," smiled Athrun before taking off at full speed towards the colony and catching up with the Freedom.

"Ready Athrun?" asked Kira, as he activated the super charged beams on the METEOR packs.

"Yeah, let's do this," nodded Athrun with a hard look in his eyes.

The ZAFT forces could only watch as the Freedom and Justice destroyed the first relay point with ease using their METEOR packs. Once it was destroyed, they took off and started to make their way over to where Requiem was located.

**Archangel**

"The first relay point has been destroyed, but there is a spare so we have to hurry and destroy Requiem or the second relay point will get in position and allow them to fire upon ORB," said Miriallia.

"Increase our speed to full thrust ahead," ordered Murrue.

"Captain," said an unfamiliar voice, which caused Murrue to turn around. She was surprised when she came eye to eye with the girl who had been piloting that Gundam that looked similar to Wing Zero.

"Lunamaria correct?" asked Murrue.

"Yes ma'am, I have come to ask permission to launch in the Impulse to help you all," saluted Luna, to the surprise of Murrue.

"Ma'am, Minerva is approaching us," reported a crewmember.

"Thank you for lending us your strength and feel free to launch as soon as possible," smiled Murrue, but before Luna could thank her, Murdock came up on the screen.

"Captain, I don't know how to say this, but that Gundam the girl was piloting has started to act up. It is like it is trying to break free or something," panicked Murdock, as several loud noises could be heard in the background. Murrue turned to look at Luna, but the girl was in just as much surprise as everyone else.

"I turned off the ZERO system," exclaimed Luna before heading to the hangar.

"Captain, it is going to destroy the entire hangar and hit the engines if we don't find a way to calm it down," yelled Murdock.

"Open the launch pads and launch the Gundam into space. We can't afford to lose our engines especially in a time like this," ordered Murrue.

"Yes ma'am," replied Murdock before shouting out the orders and closing the link.

**Space**

Athrun and Kira were flying next to the Eternal when a beeping sound went off and looked over to the Archangel just in time to see the Wing Gundam being released. It then transformed into its mobile armor form and took off into nowhere.

"What is going on?" asked Athrun, as he opened a link with the Archangel.

"I had no choice, but to release it or it would have several damage the Archangel," explained Murrue with an apologetic look on her face.

"I think we have more important matters to worry about," stated Kira with a hard look in his eyes, as a large space fortress appeared from behind the moon and it was huge.

**ZAFT Fortress**

"Shinn, Rey, I am glad you could meet with me on such short notice," smiled Durandal, as he stood up and approached each boy.

"Sir, what happened with the Impulse and the Minerva earlier ago?" asked Shinn curiously.

"It seems one of the pilots, Miss. Lunamaria Hawke, decided to steal the Impulse along with one of our new prototype mobile suits. I believe that Commander Uzumaki may have been preparing her to do this all along as we have found some proof that he was planning on betraying ZAFT before he made the split decision to protect the PLANTs," explained Durandal. It was a load of bull shit, but Shinn hated Naruto so much that he would believe anything that put the man in a bad light.

"That bastard, I knew he wasn't truly one of us all along," glared Shinn, as he was still upset that the man had died before he could get his revenge. Now he would never get his revenge and that made him angrier by the moment.

"Yes, but what is worse is that the Archangel along with its allies managed to destroy the first relay point. Fortunately, there is another, but if they are not dealt with soon then they may succeed in destroying everything we have hoped to achieve during this war," said Durandal with a small sigh.

"Sir, Shinn and I will not let that happen. We will deal with the Freedom and Justice before dealing with the others," saluted Rey. Shinn saluted as well because so long as he would get his revenge against the Freedom and now Luna for following in Naruto's footsteps, then he didn't care who he had to fight.

"Thank you, I knew I could count on you two," smiled Durandal.

**Earth**

Naruto slowly woke up and found himself staring up into a beautiful blue sky that was filled with many clouds. To many this would have been a beautiful sight, but to Naruto it was just a reminder that he was still alive, which to him, was apparently a bad thing. He slowly stood up and groaned in slight pain, as his muscles were extremely sore.

"Still alive," sighed Naruto, as the wind blew through his hair. He put his hands in his pockets and gazed out over the beautiful ocean.

Naruto was currently standing on a beach wearing a slightly torn customized ZAFT uniform and was listening to the sound of the waves crash against the shores. He could hear the sounds of battle occurring above in space, but he refused to look up to see how things were going.

No doubt by now, the Chairman was trying to enact his Destiny Plan, and had grabbed hold of the Requiem. If he wasn't stopped then he would use the Requiem to destroy the island nation of ORB and then there would be no one to oppose him.

"I wish I could help you all but I am much too weak to help anyone right now," sighed Naruto, but just as he was about to walk away, he stopped and looked up into the sky to see something heading towards him.

"Wing Zero?" said Naruto in surprise, but narrowed when he realized that it wasn't Wing Zero, but a Gundam that looked remarkably similar to it. He watched as the Gundam transformed from its mobile armor form and landed in the ocean in front of him before kneeling down and extending its hands towards him.

"Your feel familiar, yet I know I have never piloted you before," said Naruto, as he gave the Gundam a curious look. He received a mental message from the Gundam and his eyes lit up in understanding.

"I see, you were constructed from my fallen friend, Epyon, that would explain why you feel so familiar," nodded Naruto in understanding, but he still didn't make any move towards the Gundam.

"I am sorry, but I am tired of fighting. I can not be your pilot," apologized Naruto, but Wing Gundam continued to hold its hand out to Naruto.

_Flashback_

"_One day I am going to be the greatest Hokage there ever was and everyone will know my name," grinned Naruto._

"_You do realize that a Hokage is more then just being powerful don't you Naruto? Some merely think being Hokage is all about being the greatest fighter, but that is not true," said the Sandaime, as he took a puff from his pipe._

"_Huh? I thought the Hokage was the strongest person in the village and no one could beat them," said Naruto confused._

"_This is true in a sense, but a Hokage's true power is revealed not when he is fighting, but when he is protecting what he loves," smiled the Sandaime._

"_You mean like protecting your precious people?" asked Naruto softly, as he thought of Haku and how the boy told him that one only becomes truly strong when they have someone precious to protect._

"_That is correct Naruto-kun, a Hokage's most important is using his power to protect not to fight," nodded the Sandaime._

"_I think I understand, and I promise when I become Hokage I will protect all my precious people and my village better then even the Fourth," promised Naruto as he pumped his fist into the air._

"_Ha-ha, I have no doubt you will Naruto-kun, no doubt at all," laughed the Sandaime before ruffling the boy's hair._

_End Flashback_

Naruto smiled at the memory of his old mentor because he had missed the old man greatly. The Sandaime was the first true precious person he had lost while growing up and Naruto could still remember the many words of wisdom the man passed down to him.

"Very well, I shall no longer fight anymore," smiled Naruto, as he easily walked on the water towards Wing Gundam's outstretched hand.

"No, from now on, I am merely a protector, and all those who threaten my precious people and the world I love shall fall beneath my shield," said Naruto with a determined look in his eyes. The Wing Gundam carefully lifted Naruto to the cockpit and stood up tall as Naruto sat down in the cockpit then put on his helmet.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but lend me your strength my old friend. It is time to grasp that vision you sent me the very first time we met," smiled Naruto.

The Wing Gundam started to glow as it transformed into its mobile armor form and started to take off into the skies at incredible speeds. If one had looked closely, they could see a few feathers fall to the water below from the spot the Wing Gundam just took off.

**Battle of Messiah**

The battle between ORB and ZAFT forces raged on as both sides fought for different goals. ORB forces fought to stop Chairman Durandal from firing the Requiem upon their home nation and to prevent the Chairman from enacting his Destiny Plan. Fighting alongside ORB was the Archangel, Eternal, Freedom, Justice, and the Impulse as they did their best to overcome the ZAFT forces.

The only problem was that despite how hard the ORB forces were fighting, they were losing, and ZAFT was starting to overwhelm them. Perhaps, if half of the ORB Forces hadn't been taken out by the Messiah's, ZAFT's space fortress, Neo-GENESIS they might be putting up a better fight, but in wars these things happened.

The Freedom and Justice were busy fighting the Legend and Destiny so they couldn't offer their help while the Impulse and ORB-1 Akatsuki were doing their best to protect the Eternal and Archangel. The Archangel had tried to regroup with the remaining ORB forces, but had been forced to engage the Minerva when it blocked their path. At this rate, it seemed the second relay point would be in position and ORB would be destroyed by Requiem.

"Shinn stop this, you can't possibly agree with the future the Chairman plans to have for us," said Athrun, as he fought the enraged and manipulated boy.

"Just shut up you traitor, because I won't listen to a damn word you have to say," yelled Shinn angrily, as he fired his particle beam at the Justice.

Athrun didn't want to fight Shinn or hurt him because the boy was just confused and angry, but if he kept this up then he would have no choice. Shinn was about to charge at Athrun again, but growled in anger when several beams hit him from the side. Both pilots looked up to see the Impulse heading right for them.

"Athrun, you have to stop them from firing Requiem again. I will deal with the Destiny," said Luna, as she flew in front of the Justice.

"Luna, are you sure you can handle the Destiny?" asked Athrun surprised by the girl's actions.

"As if I am going to let some brat like him beat me," smirked Luna before winking at Athrun.

"You!" yelled Shinn, as he glared at the Impulse and knew exactly who was piloting it. Athrun just nodded his head at Luna before taking off to help the Archangel destroy Requiem before it could fire upon ORB.

"I don't want to fight you Shinn, but if you keep this up then I will have no choice other then to take you down," said Luna calmly.

_Flashback_

"_If you do not stand aside then I will take you down as well," promised Naruto, as he swung his heat rod above his head._

_End Flashback_

"Stella," whispered Shinn, as Luna's words reminded him of exactly what Commander Uzumaki had said to him before Stella died.

"I will make you pay for what you did," screamed Shinn, as he now saw Epyon instead of the Impulse in front of him. The Destiny's wings of light activated before Shinn drew his beam sword and charged right at the Impulse.

"Fine, then I will just have to kick your ass," said Luna, as she activated the ZERO system and dodged at the last second to the left to avoid being cut in half, then kicked Shinn in the side.

"Ah!" screamed Shinn before regaining his balance and firing his particle beam right at the Impulse.

Luna quickly raised the Impulse's shield and deflected the beam before opening fire at the Destiny. The Destiny dodged the shot with ease before charging at Luna again, but just like last time Luna was able to dodge at the last second and score another hit on him.

"Those fake after images that the Destiny creates can't fool the ZERO system," smirked Luna, as she unleashed of wave of blasts at him.

"Damn you," growled Shinn, before going into SEED Mode and throwing his two beam boomerangs at Luna.

"He's gotten faster," grunted Luna, as she dodged the boomerangs, but couldn't avoid the follow up beam saber strike that managed to graze the right side of the Impulse's chest. Something had happened to Shinn and now he was fighting on a whole new level that Luna wasn't sure she could keep up with.

**Messiah**

"Chairman, relay station two is in position, and the Requiem is ready to fire," reported a soldier.

"Perfect, fire it immediately and destroy ORB once and for all," smiled Durandal. The soldier saluted before relaying the orders to those at the Requiem machine.

**Archangel**

"Ma'am, the second relay point is in position, and none of our forces have managed to reach Requiem yet," said Miriallia with wide eyes.

"High-energy radiation levels detected, Requiem is about to fire," reported another crewmember.

"No," gasped Murrue in horror.

Everyone on the battlefield stopped as alarms went off everywhere and the Requiem fired for a second time, but this time at ORB. Kira, Lacus, Athrun, and many others fighting for ORB all watched in shock as the Requiem beam bended at station two and headed right for ORB.

"Ma'am, something is coming out of the Earth's atmosphere and it is coming fast. It is going to collide with the Requiem beam," said Miriallia before pulling up the image.

"It's the Wing Gundam," spluttered Murrue, as it came out of the atmosphere and transformed into its mobile suit form.

Wing Gundam stood perfectly still as Requiem headed straight for it and raised its shield slowly. The Requiem beamed slammed right into the Wing Gundam, but the Gundam didn't even move an inch. Everyone watched in disbelief as Wing Gundam held off the Requiem blast before a bright white light burst from the Wing Gundam and blinded everyone on the battlefield.

When it finally died down they looked to see that the Requiem beam was gone and in its place stood a brand new Gundam. It wasn't the Wing Gundam either, no, it was a brand new Gundam, which looked like an angel with three wings coming out on each side with actual feathers on them.

"Attention all ORB forces, my name is Uzumaki Naruto, I am the pilot of the Wing Zero, and I am here to lend you my strength," said Naruto, as he appeared on the Archangel, Eternals, and all other ORB ships monitors.


	33. Chapter 33

"Attention all ORB forces, my name is Uzumaki Naruto, pilot of the Wing Zero, and I wish to lend you my strength," announced Naruto appeared on all the ORB ship's monitors, including the Archangel and Eternal.

**Archangel**

"He is alive," spluttered Murrue in shock.

"Not only that, but he just stopped Requiem without any problems," gasped Miriallia.

**Eternal**

"Damn, that guy sure does know how to make an entrance," smirked Andrew, as he leaned back in his chair.

"Lacus-sama, a high-energy plasma charge is being detected and it is coming from that unit," reported DaCosta.

"All ORB forces please back away from Requiem, I will no longer allow such a weapon to exist," announced Naruto before closing the link.

"Please alert the ORB forces immediately to pull away from Requiem at once," smiled Lacus, as she watched Wing Zero raise its Buster Rifle.

**Naruto**

Naruto calmly raised Wing Zero's buster rifle and all six of the Gundam's wings extended outward. Those watching Wing Zero could only stare in awe as it gathered energy from out of nowhere and its angelic wings glowed brightly.

"Lend me your strength my friends," whispered Naruto before his eyes hardened and he pulled the trigger.

A powerful beam came out of Wing Zero's Buster Rifle and traveled at incredible speeds towards the relay point that Requiem used to bend its powerful beam. Everyone assumed the blast was going to destroy the relay station, but to their shock, Wing Zero's blast bended and kept bending until it came straight at Requiem located on the far side of the moon. Naruto had used Requiem's own panzor systems against it and watched as a large explosion rocked the far side of the moon.

Wing Zero then turned its sight to where the Messiah was located and took off towards it at speeds that left actual after images. The wings of Wing Zero left feathers every time they flapped and soon everyone snapped out of their shock and started to fight again.

**Luna**

"Commander?" whispered Luna with eyes wide in disbelief, as hope filled her eyes. She couldn't believe that he was actually alive and tears brimmed her eyes.

"That bastard, I will have my revenge," yelled Shinn, before looking at the Impulse and a grin split his face, as he realized it wasn't paying attention. He would destroy someone that man cared about just as Naruto had taken someone he had cared about away from him.

Luna heard a beeping sound go off and her eyes went wide in horror as the Destiny came at her with its beam sword ready to pierce her through the chest. Shinn eyes lit up in delight as he was about to destroy the Impulse, but widened in horror when a white blur appeared in front of the Impulse. His eyes widened in disbelief as he realized his sword thrust had been stopped by Wing Zero's shield.

A simple shield had stopped a beam sword designed to pierce through warships and didn't even so much as leave a mark. Shinn's eyes widened further in shock and a hint of fear, as his sword slowly started to crack before shattering in hundreds of tiny pieces.

"Are you ok?" asked Naruto, as he appeared on Luna's screen. Luna was so stunned she could only nod her head, which caused Naruto to nod his head before giving the Destiny his full attention.

"How? It's not possible," gasped Shinn, as he looked down at the handle of his now destroyed sword.

"One who only fights with hate and revenge in their hearts will never be able to pierce through my shield," said Naruto calmly. Shinn got over his shock quickly, drew his beam saber, and charged right at Naruto.

Wing Zero easily dodged the Destiny's attacks with such ease it that it looked like a child trying to strike down a grown adult. No matter how hard Shinn tried, he could not touch Naruto, and soon Wing Zero got behind him.

"I am sorry for what happened to that girl and I understand why you hate me, but is this really how you want to be remembered?" said Naruto using Wing Zero's beam saber to take off Destiny's right arm.

"Ahhh!" screamed Shinn, as his cockpit started to fry him.

"How will you be able to face your sister and the rest of your family once you meet them again if you spend your entire life hating everyone?" asked Naruto before delivering a heel kick to Destiny's head that sent it colliding to the moon's surface.

'Mayu,' thought Shinn, as Naruto's words started to have an affect him.

"Will you be able to hold them again knowing you killed everyone who did something to slight you? Will you be able to join them when the time comes if you keep embracing this hatred of yours?" yelled Naruto, as he landed on Destiny's chest and stabbed his beam saber through its head.

"Let ZERO show you what you will become if you continue down this path," said Naruto before slamming Wing Zero's hand down on Destiny's chest, right where the cockpit is located.

Shinn's eyes widened in horror as he found himself trapped in some type of illusion and watched his future where he continued to live with hate in his heart.

"I can not tell you how to live, but now that you have seen what you will become by hating everything and everyone, perhaps you can learn to let go of such hatred," whispered Naruto before leaving Shinn alone. There was nothing more he could do for the boy and hoped he didn't make the same mistake his old friend, Sasuke, did.

Naruto was about to continue on his way to the Messiah, but didn't get far when the Impulse blocked his path. He blinked curiously before Luna appeared on his screen with a heavy glare on her face.

"Where the hell have you been? Do you realize how worried I was about you?" yelled Luna, as tears streamed down her face.

"Err, I'm sorry?" replied Naruto nervously. Luna blinked because she had never seen her Commander act like this and it was nice.

"If you think I am letting you out of my sights a second time then you are mistaken," smirked Luna.

"Very well, but I hope you can keep up," said Naruto with a small smile before flying off towards Messiah.

"I am no longer the weak girl who didn't know who she was or what she was fighting for, and I'll make you see that," whispered Luna with a small smirk before taking off and doing her best to keep up with Wing Zero.

They easily made their way through the ZAFT forces and towards the Messiah. Luna had a hard time keeping her eyes off Wing Zero because the mobile suit looked like some kind of angel as it spread its wings to move at incredible speeds. She didn't get to enjoy the sight for long when around twenty to thirty ZAKU surrounded them including two ships.

"Luna, get behind me," said Naruto. Luna just nodded her head and got right behind Wing Zero then watched in awe as all its wings snapped up and released a barrage of feathers that floated outwards towards all the ZAFT forces. Naruto performed a single hand seal before taking out all the ZAFT forces.

"Katsu," whispered Naruto, causing all the feathers to explode from all over the battlefield. Luna's eyes widened in disbelief as a wave of explosions occurred from when Wing Zero had blocked Requiem, all the way to the spot she was currently located.

The truly amazing thing was that even though 40 percent of the ZAFT forces had been caught in those explosions, no one had died, and only been disabled.

'Incredible,' thought Luna, as their path became clear again.

"This battle is over," said Naruto, as he flew towards the Messiah where the Freedom was already taking down the shield generator ring that surrounded the fortress.

**Messiah**

The Impulse and Wing Zero landed inside of the space fortress and the pilots quickly got out of their cockpits.

"Stay here, I'll be back," started Naruto, before shutting up when Luna punched him in the jaw.

"Ow! What the hell? Are you made out of steel or something?" cursed Luna, as she held her hand in pain.

"Now that you got that out of your system, will you pleas stay here and watch over our Gundams?" sighed Naruto.

"Nope, I already told you, I am not letting you out of my sight," grinned Luna, as she was still nursing her hand.

"You really are a troublesome girl," said Naruto with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"And you really are a bastard, and my hand still hurts," glared Luna. Naruto just shook his head at the girl before they both made their way to the main control center of the Messiah.

Naruto could already sense that the pilot of the Freedom was here and a few others were on their way.

"Why are we here anyway?" asked Luna curiously, as they got into the elevator.

"To make sure the pilot of the Freedom doesn't get killed, it is not his time," replied Naruto, as the doors opened and they saw Kira holding a gun at Durandal. The Chairman also had a gun pointed at Kira, but his eyes widened when he saw Naruto come out of the elevator.

"Naruto-san, I must confess, I did not ever expect to see you again," smiled Durandal. Kira turned around and he too was surprised to see Naruto despite the fact that Naruto had been the one to stop Requiem. Seeing him in person just removed any doubt that it was someone posing as Naruto in the Wing Zero.

"Regretfully, it wasn't my time to die," said Naruto, as he came up besides Kira and put his hand over the boy's gun.

"This is not who you are, I will deal with him," said Naruto, as he took the gun from Kira and knocked the boy into the elevator behind them. He looked at Luna and the girl got the message and didn't bother to argue this time. She quickly hit the button and both she and Kira left the room.

"I see, so you plan to be the one to kill me then?" asked Durandal, as he turned his gun on Naruto. Naruto didn't say anything just stood there staring at the Chairman and eventually Durandal put his gun away.

"All this time, I was so worried about Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne, but I should have been more concerned about you," chuckled Durandal.

"If it makes you feel any better, I do not fault you for any of your goals, or the things you did to try to accomplish them," said Naruto honestly.

"That does make me feel better as I was afraid that when I die people would only think of me as a cruel tyrant who wanted world domination," smiled Durandal.

"You did what you thought would be best for your people and I more then anyone can understand that," said Naruto, as he suddenly appeared behind the Chairman.

"Mind telling me one thing before you kill me?" asked Durandal, as he felt the tip of metal against his neck. Naruto didn't reply, but remained silent and let Durandal ask his question.

"Who are you really?" asked Durandal, as he glanced at Naruto out of the corner of his eyes.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto, son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, born in the village of Konohagakure," answered Naruto honestly.

"Hmm, so it is as I expected all along, thank you," smiled Durandal before falling to the ground dead, as Naruto slit his throat.

"Gilbert Durandal, you were a good leader, but you allowed your ambitions to corrupt you. In another lifetime, I would have liked to speak to you as one leader to another about our philosophies on life," said Naruto before using a Katon jutsu to burn the man's body.

The Second Bloody Valentine War had finally come to an end.


	34. Chapter 34

"Where did that bastard go now?" grumbled Luna angrily, as she leaned back on the couch in the recreation room of the Eternal.

The war was officially over as all ZAFT and ORB forces had retreated now that the Messiah was gone and Chairman Durandal was gone. The Messiah had been completely destroyed by the Wing Zero from inside out. Luna didn't think there was a person in the world who would ever stopped being amazed at the power of Wing Zero. It was definitely the strongest mobile suit in existence, and in the hands of someone like Naruto, it was an unstoppable force.

"I am sure he will be back," said Meer with a forced smile, because inwardly she was just as anxious to meet with him again.

"I believe he went to go see some friends," smiled Lacus, as she entered the room with Kira and Athrun.

"Yeah, I got that feeling as well," agreed Kira with a nod of his head. Athrun went to go sit by Meer as the two had become very close during their stay aboard the Archangel and Meer gave Athrun a beautiful smile.

"I just don't understand how he was able to completely disappear from our radars like that because he was still clearly in front of us when we lost his signal," frowned Luna.

"I doubt we will ever know the true extent of the Commander's abilities," said Athrun honestly, as Meer rested her head on his shoulder.

"All we really need to know is that he is a good person and that is enough," smiled Lacus, as she sat down next to Kira. The others just nodded their head at Lacus's statement because it was the truth.

**Earth: Unknown Location**

Naruto calmly walked through the beautiful and lush forests of the place that used to be his home thousands of years ago. The Elemental Countries may no longer exist to the outside world, but that was because Naruto had designed a powerful a genjutsu about 1500 years ago, that hid the entire village of Konoha from existence, which was all that remained of the Elemental countries. Nothing could pierce through this genjutsu because he had perfected it to the point that not even the most advanced technology would be able to break the genjutsu.

As Naruto slowly made his way through the forest, he enjoyed the wild life, and the sounds of nature. He hadn't been home in over 500 years and didn't realize how much he truly missed it until right now. The forest soon came to an end, and Naruto soon reached the old worn gates of his village that were already open as if to say they had been waiting for his return.

"You are as beautiful as ever," smiled Naruto, as he walked through the village. It may have been empty and abandoned to anyone else, but to Naruto, it was full of life.

He could see the many villagers passing through the streets smiling and talking while little child ran around playing with their friends. Many merchants and shop owners would advertise the goods they had to sell. Naruto paused when he came upon a familiar ramen stand where he used to spend most of his days even as Hokage eating at and talking with his friends.

Naruto started to laugh as he remembered him and Chouji having a contest to see who could eat the most ramen. He could see the looks of disgust on his friend's face as they watched the two of them stuff their faces with tons of ramen for over an hour to beat the other. It was a victory that Naruto held over the Akimichi's head for a long time because it was the only thing that Naruto could beat Chouji at when it came to eating, much to his friend's ire.

Reluctantly, Naruto continued walking and made his way towards the large monument made for the Hokage's of Konoha. On it were six faces and considered to be the six most powerful ninja that Konoha had ever produced.

"How have you been old man, obaa-chan, and tou-san?" asked Naruto, as he appeared on top of the Yondaime's head and took a seat on it.

"I see you all have been taking good care of the village while I have been gone. It looks as beautiful as ever," smiled Naruto, as his eyes scanned over Konoha.

"Ha-ha, I have become as bad you Obaa-chan, having a bunch of people doing what is supposed to be my job. Don't worry though, I will no longer need you all to watch over Konoha, as I will be doing that myself from now on," chuckled Naruto.

"Well, I need to visit some friends so I will see you three later," smiled Naruto, as he stood up and his eyes gazed over Konoha one last time before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto reappeared in a small clearing that held three giant stones with many names carved on them. He walked over to the stones and took a seat in front of them with a sad smile on his face.

"Hello my friends, it has been awhile since I last saw you all," smiled Naruto with a pained look in his eyes.

"I guess that is my fault, I have been hiding from you all," sighed Naruto, as his hands traced over a few names on one of the stones.

"I missed you all so much that I even foolishly tried to find a way to try to prevent people from dying at all because I didn't want to lose anymore precious people. My hate of death turned to fear, but do not worry, I no longer fear death," smiled Naruto, as a few silent tears fell from his eyes.

"I will see you all again someday, but not yet. I know it may be selfish of me to make you all wait longer, but I have found some more people who are precious to me and I wish to enjoy what time I have left with them," said Naruto.

"Anyway, you all probable don't want to listen to this type of stuff so I'll change the subject. I guess I can tell you all about how different things have come about though I doubt some of you will like it," smirked Naruto.

"Kakashi-sempai, I bet you would love this new era because they have found tons of new ways for you to get your daily dose of porn," laughed Naruto.

"Lee my friend, I am afraid that no one knows about the power of youth anymore though I don't necessarily know if that's a bad thing," grinned Naruto, as he spent the rest of the day speaking with his friends.

**PLANTs**

"Lacus-sama," saluted and bow many soldiers and council members as they greeted the new Chairwoman of the PLANTs.

"Thank you my friends, and I happy to say that the treaty between ORB and the PLANTs has been signed," smiled Lacus.

For the next few hours or so Lacus was trapped in a meeting with the council members while they talked about all sort of things concerning the current affairs of the PLANTs and such. One they finally managed to finished speaking about everything that needed to said, Lacus dismissed them all, and was told her bodyguard would be waiting for her in the hallway. Lacus frowned at that because she didn't want a body guard, but knew that she was a high ranking individual she would need one until everything truly calmed down.

She exited the room and saw a man leaning against the side of the wall with a small orange book in his hands and a large straw hat on his head that covered his face. He wasn't wearing any type of ZAFT uniform, and looked to be a civilian except for the kunai pouch tapped to his right thigh. His baggy black pants had tons of pockets and there were a couple of scrolls inside his green flak vest that was being worn over a long-sleeve white shirt.

"Um excuse me," smiled Lacus, but stopped and looked at the man in surprise when he lifted his head. She instantly recognized the beautiful sky blue orbs of his, but everything else seemed to change because she didn't remember him having whiskers.

"Miss. Clyne, my name is Uzumaki Naruto, I shall be your body guard for the evening," bowed Naruto, as he closed his book and put it in his pocket.

"Mr. Uzumaki," started Lacus with a warm smile, thought stopped when he raised his hand.

"Call me Naruto," said Naruto with a slight smile.

"Naruto-san, I was not aware you were still part of ZAFT. I thought you had deserted and switched sides," smiled Lacus before they walked together towards some room in the distance.

"Nope, technically, I was declared dead, and when someone is declared dead they are no longer part of the military. My status as a member of FAITH was just recently reinstated again so you see, I never deserted," explained Naruto.

"You're very good when it comes to details Naruto-san," smiled Lacus with a light laugh.

"Old habit, I tended to work with a lot of people back in the day who looked for any little flaw in an argument so I had to always be precise that way I didn't trap myself later," smiled Naruto.

"I guess I better start getting use to that as well since I am the new leader of the PLANTs and I am sure there are those who will be out to get me as well," said Lacus.

"Whether they are out to get you or not, they will not succeed as long as I am your bodyguard," reassured Naruto.

"Thank you Naruto-san," smiled Luna with a grateful look in her eyes.

"So, where is your boyfriend?" asked Naruto, as he changed the subject. Lacus blushed lightly because no one had ever called Kira that before, but there was no denying they were a couple.

"I believe he and a few others are waiting for us in the room we are headed to now," smiled Lacus. Naruto just nodded his head before falling silent as he walked next to the young woman.

"I think that Lunamaria-san as well as Meer-san will be there with them as well," said Lacus with a knowing look in her eyes.

"How are Meer and that boy, I believe Athrun is his name, doing?" asked Naruto curiously.

"They are doing well, they have become close since you helped them escape ZAFT, but I believe Athrun worries that Meer sees you more then a friend," answered Lacus honestly.

"Those two will do well together as they both had identity issues during the war and they can help each other grow stronger," said Naruto.

"That is true, but what do you plan on doing about Lunamaria-san?" asked Lacus with a beautiful smile.

"You know for some who is considered a kind and generous person, you sure do love gossip," smirked Naruto playfully.

Lacus just pouted, but there was a playful look in her eyes. It was rare she got to act like any other girl because some many of her friends, even Kira, looked to her as a source of strength, but something about Naruto just brought out her more playful side. Perhaps, it was because she knew Naruto only saw her as Lacus Clyne, a young woman, and not by any of her other titles. He had no expectations of her other for her to be herself.

"To answer your question though, I am looking forward to meeting with Luna-san again," smiled Naruto with a hint of nervousness.

"I am sure she is looking forward to meeting with you again as well," smiled Lacus with a knowing look in her eyes.

"I hope so," said Naruto before he turned to look at Lacus and said something that was completely random.

"The answer is still no, by the way," said Naruto with a slight frown.

"I see," sighed Lacus with a sad look in her eyes. She wasn't even surprised that he had once again been able to somehow read her mind and know what she truly wanted to ask him.

"I'm sorry, but I lived far too long to believe in something like peace anymore, but that is ok because I have other things that I do believe in," explained Naruto with a small smile. Lacus looked at him curiously, and waited for him to finish.

"One doesn't need peace to be happy, it is something I forgot a long time ago, and it is probably one of the few things I do believe in. Happiness is something that can be found even in the times of war and it is what I shall protect when the next war inevitably comes," said Naruto seriously. Lacus didn't get to say anything more when they finally reached their destination and they all saw all their friends waiting for them.

**Author's Note**

**Well people that is the end of our story, I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for all the reviews. If you didn't enjoy it then um, that's too bad? Lol.**

**We have got several requests to make a sequel and to tell the truth, we have considered doing it, which is why we left some things unexplained and not just to piss you all off. :P The only problem is, that it is summer, and sexy and I work crazy hours during the summer, which is another reason why we updated so much in the past few days. We hate having to wait for a favorite story of ours to update and we didn't like the idea of making you all wait when we could have finished it before taking time off from fanfiction. **

**So, if we do start a sequel, it won't come out and about until the end of summer or maybe even longer then that. The ideas we had for a sequel consisted of making a true ZAFT terrorist organization, kind of like the White Fang in Gundam Wing.**

**In the Gundam Seed and Destiny series, the main enemies were naturals except for the Junius Seven event, and thought it be a good spin to finally do a Coordinator organization that started the next war. We would also probably go more in depth of the LunaxNaruto pairing we started towards the end along with the AthrunxMeer. Probably have Shinn become a main character as he would be a target for manipulation just like in the last war, but more like with Durandal did with Athrun. Stuff like that are the kinds of idea that are floating through our minds. Have the Coordinators organization find out about the true powers of ZERO and add in more elements from Gundam Wing because we like combining it with the Destiny and Seed series :P**

**On a side note, if any of you all would like to do a sequel of your own off the story, we would be honored, and we wouldn't care what you choose to do for the sequel. Can change pairings, kill off characters, we wouldn't care, but we would ask that you let us read chapters ahead of time . as a courtesy, but don't have to let us. Anyway, thank you all again, and I hope you enjoyed.**

** sexy and tgobg out**

**Peace**


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